HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

MyUK

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what feedback the Parliamentary Education Service has received following the launch of MyUK; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: 8 September 2011 is the official launch of MyUK, the new online learning activity from Parliament's Education Service. Feedback from students and teachers prior to the launch has been extremely positive, and the quality of the material has already been recognised, having been shortlisted in the ‘best learning game, simulation or virtual environment’ category at this year's prestigious E-Learning Awards. The Education Service will provide hon. and right hon. Members with MyUK publicity material for their schools to coincide with Parliament Week (31 October to 6 November 2011).

Construction

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, by what date the House of Commons Commission expects Commons Court to be free of scaffolding, portacabins, builders' huts and contractors' vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: The portacabins currently located in Commons Court are being used for the medium-term mechanical and engineering project. It is envisaged that they will remain in place until the current phase of the project is completed, expected to be at the end of December 2011. Commons Court is an area suitable for site huts and from time to time in the future huts are likely to be sited there in connection with various works projects.
	Most of the scaffolding in Commons Court has been erected to permit the demolition of a roof-top hut. This scaffolding is due to be removed in the next few weeks. The remainder of the scaffolding is there to carry power and water services above the carriageway to the portacabins and will be removed at the same time as the cabins.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chagos Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) US and (b) Mauritius counterpart on the Chagos Islands.

Henry Bellingham: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I have had no recent discussions on the British Indian Ocean Territory with their US or Mauritian counterparts.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to increase the number of officials of his Department based in Gibraltar.

David Lidington: There are no plans to increase the number of officials in the Governor’s Office in Gibraltar.

Sergei Magnitsky

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the Russian Interior Ministries on the prosecution of the late Sergi Magnitsky for tax evasion; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: While we have not had discussions with, or received representations from, the Russian Government on the resumption of the prosecution case against the late Mr Magnitsky, we have repeatedly made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about his arrest, detention and death. We have urged the Russian Government to investigate the case fully and bring to justice those responsible.
	The Foreign Secretary discussed the case with Foreign Minister Lavrov when he visited London in February, and I raised the case during my visit to Moscow in July.

Sergei Magnitsky

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Russian Government on the prosecution of the late Sergi Magnitsky for tax evasion.

David Lidington: While we have not had discussions with, or received representations from, the Russian Government on the resumption of the prosecution case against the late Mr Magnitsky, we have repeatedly made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about his arrest, detention and death. We have urged the Russian Government to investigate the case fully and bring to justice those responsible.
	The Foreign Secretary discussed the case with Foreign Minister Lavrov when he visited London in February, and I raised the case during my visit to Moscow in July.

Zimbabwe: Racial Discrimination

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government intends to ask the United Nations to activate the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in respect of Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: Zimbabwe ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on 13 May 1991 and is required to respect that obligation.
	The British Government regularly call on Zimbabwe to uphold its obligations under international human rights treaties, and to treat all of its citizens equally and fairly.

PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change: Conferences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to attend the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.

David Cameron: The Government are committed to achieving an ambitious global deal to cut emissions consistent with limiting global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius. The UK will be represented at Durban by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) and the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker).

Departmental Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister how many senior civil servants in his Office at each grade had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to taking up their appointment in each of the last four years; what consultancy agreements his Office had with those firms in each such year; and how many consultants from those firms have advised his Office in each such year.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and therefore the answer provided is for the whole of the Cabinet Office.
	Appointments to the civil service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition in accordance with the Constitutional Reform Act 2010.
	The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In May 2010 the Government announced a freeze on new consultancy expenditure. Any exception to this freeze (where the estimated value is over £20,000) must be approved by the relevant Minister. In the case of the Cabinet Office, the Minister for the Cabinet Office approves any exception to the consultancy freeze. Expenditure on consultancy is only allowed if the consultancy is deemed to be operationally necessary, or the work can not be done by in-house staff. All consultancy contracts are subject to a review every three months, for a maximum of nine months. Where contracts go beyond nine months, they must be submitted for approval to the Efficiency and Reform Group for consideration by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Right to Challenge

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department plans to issue to local authorities on the statutory grounds on which certain local services may be exempted from the Community Right to Challenge.

Andrew Stunell: The Localism Bill enables the Secretary of State to exempt services from the Community Right to Challenge, and set out grounds for rejecting an expression of interest, in regulations. The Department is considering what additional guidance may need to be provided on these issues and will discuss this with key interested parties.

Community Relations

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects on community cohesion of the Al Quds Day rally held on 21 August 2011.

Andrew Stunell: My Department has made no specific assessment of the effects of the Al Quds Day rally.

Council Housing: Evictions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) guidance has been issued to and (b) discussions he has had with local authorities on the eviction of council tenants from their homes if they, or their family members, are convicted of criminal conduct resulting from the public disorder of August 2011.

Grant Shapps: No guidance has been issued to local authorities on the eviction of tenants if they or their family members are convicted of criminal activities during the recent disorder. The Department for Communities and Local Government is however currently consulting on proposals to extend the existing discretionary ground for possession for antisocial behaviour to include tenants or family members who have been convicted of the sort of criminality witnessed during the recent riots, wherever that criminality took place.
	During and in the aftermath of the riots a number of discussions took place between Ministers in this Department and local authorities. Eviction was one of many issues discussed.

Travellers

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding was provided to each local authority from Homes and Communities Agency Gypsy and Traveller programme grants for new Gypsy and Traveller sites in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: Before 2009, Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant was administered by DCLG and the following total sums were paid out:
	2007-08—£32,295,321
	2008-09—£22,945:064
	Figures broken down by local authority are available in the Library of the House. The Homes and Communities Agency has been responsible for paying the Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant since financial year 2009-10. Since then they have provided funding for:
	
		
			 2009-10 
			 Local authority £ 
			 Bedford 326,155 
			 Sandwell 1,063,000 
			 South Gloucestershire 418,163 
			 Total 1,807,318 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Local authority £ 
			 Barnsley 1,160,000 
			 Bedford 279,786 
			 Bromsgrove 999,600 
			 Buckinghamshire 358.072 
			 Corby 475,000 
			 East Riding 1,214,139 
			 Gateshead 512,549 
			 Kent 932,107 
			 Lancashire 278,362 
			 Lincolnshire 1,248,571 
			 Middlesbrough 583,009 
			 North Dorset 956,856 
			 North Yorkshire 43,986 
			 Northumberland 935,007 
			 Norwich 475,000 
			 South Cambridgeshire 1,101,051 
			 South Gloucestershire 77,250 
			 Total 11,630,345 
		
	
	In the spending period 2011-15 £60 million has been set aside for the provision of new Traveller sites and the refurbishment of existing ones.

Travellers

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Traveller sites have been built in each local authority area since May 2010.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government only holds details on the number of pitches that have been built since May 2010 with Homes and Communities Agency funding. These are:
	
		
			 2009-10 
			 Local authority New/additional pitches 
			 Bedford 9 
			 Sandwell 1 
			 South Gloucestershire 2 
			 Total 12 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Local authority New/additional pitches 
			 Barnsley 2 
			 Bedford 2 
			 Bromsgrove 5 
			 Buckinghamshire 1 
			 Corby 4 
			 East Riding 10 
			 Gateshead 6 
		
	
	
		
			 Kent 18 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Lincolnshire 2 
			 Middlesbrough 5 
			 North Dorset 8 
			 North Yorkshire 2 
			 Northumberland 1 
			 Norwich 3 
			 South Cambridgeshire 1 
			 South Gloucestershire 5 
			 Total 77

Travellers

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of unauthorised Traveller sites in (a) each local authority area and (b) England (i) in each of the last five years and (ii) since May 2010. [Official Report, 13 September 2011, Vol. 532, c. 7MC.]

Andrew Stunell: The "Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans" undertaken bi-annually by local authorities in England and collated by my Department collects data on the number of caravans on unauthorised sites in England. It does not provide data on the number of unauthorised sites. Information on the number of caravans on unauthorised sites in England and by local authority area for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 is available in the Library of the House.
	Figures from the "Count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans" for the past five years indicate a downward trend on unauthorised caravans.
	
		
			  Number 
			 January  
			 2007 3,797 
			 2008 3,680 
			 2009 841 
			 2010 896 
			 2011 695

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Edelman

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many telephone calls have taken place between his Department and Edelman since 6 May 2010;
	(2)  how many representatives of Edelman have visited his Department since 6 May 2010.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The Deputy Prime Minister's office is part of the Cabinet Office. Details of telephone calls and meetings held by officials are not held centrally.
	The Government are committed to publishing details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations on a quarterly basis. Details of these meetings can be accessed on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations

WORK AND PENSIONS

Housing Benefit: Domestic Violence

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the award of housing benefit to victims of domestic violence who flee their homes.

Steve Webb: Guidance for local authorities on the award of housing benefit for victims of domestic violence is contained in chapter A3, paragraphs 3.410-3.415 and 3.630-3.633, of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Guidance Manual, which is published on the Department's website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/hbgm-a3-liability-to-make-payments.pdf

Housing Benefit: Parents

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of non-resident parents (a) in Bristol and (b) nationally who will be restricted to the local housing allowance shared accommodation rate as a result of increasing the age threshold to 35 in January 2012.

Steve Webb: It is estimated that around 10,000 of the people affected by the extension of the shared accommodation rate are non-resident parents who have some contact with children who live elsewhere.
	Estimates have not been produced at local authority level.
	Source
	DWP analysis of 2008/09 Family Resources Survey and 2008 Families and Children Survey

Housing Benefit: Prisoners

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with charities and support workers on the effects on single people under 35 leaving (a) prison and (b) supported housing of changes to the local housing allowance shared accommodation rate.

Steve Webb: We have regular meetings with voluntary organisations and these have included discussions on the change to the shared accommodation rate. We have also liaised closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government on the introduction of two new exemptions: for ex-offenders who could pose a risk of serious harm to the public, and those leaving hostels who have been homeless or are at risk of homelessness.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 25 May and 30 June 2011 regarding his constituent Mr P Philpot.

Chris Grayling: Despite an extensive search, I am afraid the Department has found no trace of these letters.

Pensioners: Jarrow

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners (a) aged 80 and over received the annual £400 winter fuel payment and (b) aged 60 and over received the annual £250 winter fuel payment in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11.

Steve Webb: Winter fuel payment information is available in the document “Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2009-10 by Parliamentary Constituencies, age and payment amount”. This is available in the Commons Library and on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp
	Information for 2010-11 is not currently available.

Pensioners: Jarrow

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average weekly income was of a pensioner household in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Steve Webb: Estimates of the median equivalised household incomes After Housing Costs are published in the Households Below Average Income series. The median income is the income of the middle person in the population, such that half the population have incomes below the median and half the population have incomes above the median. The median is used instead of the mean income because the mean is affected by outlying cases with very high income values.
	These statistics only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at regional level. Therefore, information is available for the North East region, but not available for Jarrow or South Tyneside.
	Three-year averages are used to report regional statistics as single-year estimates are subject to volatility.
	The first table shows the median equivalised weekly household income for pensioners in the North East of England, After Housing Costs, for three year periods spanning 1997-98 to 2009-10, which is the latest year for which figures are available.
	The second table shows the median equivalised weekly household income for pensioners in the United Kingdom, After Housing Costs, for each year since 1998-99, which is the first year for which UK figures are available.
	Equivalisation adjusts incomes for household size and composition, taking an adult couple with no children as the reference point. For example, the process of equivalisation would adjust the income of a single pensioner upwards, so that we can use income to directly compare their standard of living with a pensioner couple.
	In each case, incomes are presented in 2009-10 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound.
	
		
			 Table 1: Median equivalised weekly household incomes for pensioners in the North East, After Housing Costs 
			  Median equivalised household weekly income for pensioners, (£) 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 223 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 225 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 240 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 254 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 269 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 278 
			 2003-04 to 2005-06 287 
			 2004-05 to 2006-07 297 
			 2005-06 to 2007-08 309 
			 2006-07 to 2008-09 314 
			 2007-08 to 2009-10 317 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Median equivalised weekly household incomes for pensioners in the United Kingdom, After Housing Costs 
			  Median equivalised household weekly income for pensioners, (£) 
			 1998-99 241 
			 1999-2000 253 
			 2000-01 268 
			 2001-02 280 
			 2002-03 289 
			 2003-04 295 
			 2004-05 313 
			 2005-06 321 
			 2006-07 323 
			 2007-08 335 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 341 
			 2009-10 347 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 3. Figures have been presented on an After Housing Cost basis. For After Housing Costs, housing costs are deducted from income. 4. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 5. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 6. Monetary amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1.

Pensioners: Jarrow

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) nationwide received the basic state pension in each year since 1981.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			 State pension recipients, March 2000 to March 2002 and February 2003 to February 2011 
			  Great Britain North East region South Tyneside local authority Jarrow parliamentary constituency 
			 March 2000 10,126,800 472,200 30,100 15,600 
			 March 2001 10,176,700 473,700 29,800 15,500 
			 March 2002 10,233,000 475,000 30,100 15,900 
			 February 2003 10,296,240 470,900 30,030 15,950 
			 February 2004 10,385,360 473,970 29,930 15,990 
			 February 2005 10,517,940 478,930 29,950 16,040 
			 February 2006 10,585,700 481,260 29,930 16,070 
			 February 2007 10,726,000 486,970 29,960 16,180 
			 February 2008 10,920,230 494,900 30,220 16,400 
			 February 2009 11,108,310 501,720 30,410 16,570 
			 February 2010 11,334,610 511,870 30,870 16,830 
			 February 2011 11,403,370 513,890 30,700 17,130 
			 Notes: 1. Geographical breakdowns were not available on the state pension data until September 1999. 2. 5% sample figures are rounded to the nearest hundred, 100% figures to nearest 10. 3. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data was not available prior to February 2003, therefore 5% sample data was used instead. The sample data is uprated to be consistent with WPLS case loads. 4. State pension figure provided is the total State pension case load. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 5. From April 2010, the age at which women reach state pension age started to gradually increase from 60. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. Figures from May 2010 onwards reflect this change. 6. This data does not include claimants living abroad. This data is available on the Department’s tabulation tool at http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Sources: 1. Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% samples from March 2000 to March 2002. 2. DWP Information Directorate, 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study from February 2003.

Post Office Card Account

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had a Post Office card account in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: As of July 2011, around 3.5 million people held a Post Office card account.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments have been completed in each month of the last year.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The information requested can be found in the latest report published in July 2011 on the internet at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
	Tables 2 and 2a in the above publication show monthly statistics on completed initial and repeat assessments for ESA claims from October 2008 up to February 2011 (the latest data available).
	The following table shows completed assessments for the latest year of data currently available. This is a summary of Tables 2 and 2a in the publication.
	
		
			 Completed assessments by month of assessment 
			  Initial assessments Repeat assessments Total 
			 2010    
			 March 38,900 5,700 44,700 
			 April 32,200 5,700 37,900 
			 May 34,100 6,300 40,400 
			 June 38,600 7,600 46,100 
			 July 40,300 9,300 49,500 
			 August 37,200 9,700 46,900 
			 September 38,900 11,100 50,000 
			 October 38,200 11,600 49,700 
			 November 41,300 13,900 55,300 
			 December 28,700 10,800 39,500 
			     
			 2011    
			 January 34,600 14,900 49,500 
			 February 37,900 17,000 54,900 
			 Total 440,900 123,600 564,500 
			 Notes: 1. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 2. These figures do not include IB reassessment claims. 3. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Daylight Savings Bill

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the potential benefits to the tourism industry of the provisions of the Daylight Saving Bill.

John Penrose: I have received a number of representations and am aware of a range of arguments regarding the effect of introducing daylight saving time on tourism businesses, other industries and sectors. Steps towards any movement in this area must be with consensus across the UK.

Film and Video Games Industries

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has for future support for the (a) film and (b) video games industry; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: In addition to grant in aid, lottery funding and the film tax relief, the Government have commissioned an independent review of film policy, with findings expected later this year.
	We are committed to publishing a response to the Livingstone-Hope report on skills for the video games and visual effects sectors this summer.

London Olympics

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential legacy of the equestrian events of the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: Greenwich was chosen as the venue for the equestrian events for the London 2012 games with the support of the International Equestrian Federation and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF). Staging the events in Greenwich Park ensures a compact games, increases exposure and stimulates interest in equestrian sports with new audiences locally and across the UK. The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) staged the equestrian test event in July attended by 5,000 local people, including over 3,500 from local schools and colleges—the vast majority of whom attended an equestrian event for the first time.
	Sport England is providing £4.2 million of funding to the BEF between 2009 and 2013 to increase access to equestrian sports under its Whole Sports Plan as part of the 2012 legacy.

London Olympics

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the status is of the contingency fund for the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: The Government Olympic Executive publishes quarterly reports on progress towards delivering the Olympic and Paralympic games. These reports include the latest position on the status and level of contingency remaining within the £9.3 billion public sector funding package for the games. The most recent report, published in July 2011, showed that the balance of contingency and other savings in the programme stood at £643.5 million. For more information see:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8308.aspx
	While we are confident that the programme will be delivered within the £9.3 billion budget, significant challenges remain in the final year before the games. We will continue to publish quarterly reports on progress, including the level of contingency remaining.

BSkyB

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the implications for the broadcasting sector of the decision by News Corporation not to proceed with its proposed acquisition of BSkyB.

Jeremy Hunt: We have received a number of representations over the course of the proposed acquisition of BSkyB.

Casinos

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to review the restrictions on building new casinos under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005.

John Penrose: ( )Not immediately. The Government would want to consider the impact of the small( )and large casinos which can currently be developed under the Gambling Act 2005,( )before making any judgment on how casino regulation should be treated in the( )future. The timing of any such consideration will depend on how quickly sufficient( )numbers of small and large casinos are in place to allow assessments of local impact( )in order to establish an overall picture.

Football: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether he has had any discussions with the Scottish Executive regarding the flying of the Cross of St. George at matches where Berwick Rangers play;
	(2)  whether his Department issues guidance on the flying or possession of flags by attendees at football matches;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Football Association, (b) the Scottish Football Association, (c) the Football Association of Wales, (d) the Irish Football Association, (e) the Scottish government and (f) FIFA on the flying of flags at football matches.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had discussions with colleagues at the Scottish Executive, or with the domestic or international football bodies, on this issue. There are no requirements in relation to the flying of flags at football grounds in the leagues in England, Wales and Scotland. It is for the club in each case, in conjunction with the police, and the local authority to decide on their use, based on safety and public order considerations.

Gun Sports

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the provisions of section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 on levels of grassroots participation in target pistol shooting.

Hugh Robertson: Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 concerns prohibited weapons, which Parliament has judged to be especially dangerous, and may only be possessed with the authority of the Home Secretary. In 1997, following the tragic shooting incident at Dunblane, Parliament legislated to place most pistols within this category. Sport England advise it is broadly accepted that participation in the Olympic Sport of Target Pistol Shooting in Great Britain dropped by an estimated 70% post 1998.

Motor Sports

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on Formula One motor racing in the last year.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Secretary of State nor I have had specific discussions on Formula One. However departmental officials, along with their colleagues at Business, Innovations and Skills, meet regularly with motorsport representatives. I have also met with the chief executive of the Motorsport Association to discuss a range of issues in the sport.

Telephone Tapping

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what progress has been made in the Leveson inquiry into telephone hacking.

Jeremy Hunt: Lord Justice Leveson has made some opening remarks which set out how he intends to run his independent Inquiry. Details of that and of the panel members appointed to assist him in his work can be found on the Inquiry's website at:
	http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk

Written Questions: Government Responses

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer between (a) 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011 and (b) 9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011.

John Penrose: During the period 27 May 2010 to 19 July 2011, 22.8% of written parliamentary questions tabled to my Department for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer. During the period 9 March 2011 to 19 July 2011, 24.9% of written parliamentary questions tabled to my Department for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer.
	My Department endeavours to answer all named day parliamentary questions on the allocated day but where this is not possible we aim to provide a substantive reply at the earliest opportunity possible.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Business Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make it his policy to increase the number of days allocated to backbench business in the 2010-12 Session pro rata from 35 to reflect the anticipated length of the Session.

George Young: As I said in my written ministerial statement of 23 March 2011, Official Report, column 60WS, the Government are mindful that, due to the longer than usual current session, extra provision will be necessary for Opposition days and backbench business days. No changes to Standing Orders are necessary to accommodate adequate extra provision in these two instances, and I will announce the provision of extra time through the weekly business statement as usual.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Leader of the House what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer between (a) 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011 and (b) 9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011.

George Young: I have answered all 35 named day written parliamentary questions tabled to this Office since 27 May 2010 on the named day.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions has he had with the Prime Minister on the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Prime Minister to discuss a range of issues.

Climate Change

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) he and (b) other ministers in his Department have had on the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State and other DECC Ministers have had a range of meetings, including bilateral and formal events on the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban. Attendees at these meetings have included non-government organisations, external stakeholders, other Government Departments and representatives of other Governments.

Climate Change

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he and his ministerial colleagues have had with European counterparts to discuss the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban.

Gregory Barker: Discussions with EU counterparts on preparation for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban took place at the March EU Environment Council, which the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) attended, and at the Informal Meeting of EU Environment Ministers, which I attended in July. Both Ministers are in regular contact with key European counterparts outside of these meetings to discuss issues including preparation for Durban.

Departmental Written Questions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer between (a) 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011 and (b) 9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011.

Gregory Barker: 313 named day questions for written answer were tabled to the Department between 27 May 2010 and 19 July 2011. Of these, 35 questions did not receive a substantive reply on the named day.
	178 named day questions for written answer were tabled to the Department between 9 March 2011 and 19 July 2011. Of these, 14 questions did not receive a substantive reply on the named day.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Desalination: Carbon Emissions

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effects of desalination plants on UK carbon emissions.

Gregory Barker: The UK has one desalination plant, run by Thames Water, which opened in 2010. We will not have any estimates of emissions from this plant until the UK's greenhouse gas inventory for 2010 is published in early 2012. Emissions attributable to the energy used by the plant will be included in these estimates.

Fuel Poverty: Housing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households in fuel poverty living in (a) F and (b) G rated properties in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Gregory Barker: The years for which data are available for England are shown in the following table. Numbers of households are rounded to the nearest thousand.
	
		
			  Number   of   households in   fuel   poverty (F rated properties) Number   of   households in   fuel   poverty   (G   rated properties) 
			 2009 856,000 436,000 
			 2008 811,000 410,000 
			 2007 749,000 415,000 
			 2006 735,000 437,000

Fuel Poverty: Prices

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of increasing fuel prices on levels of fuel poverty since July 2011; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Gregory Barker: On 14 July 2011, DECC published projections of fuel poverty in England in 2011. These indicated that the number of fuel poor households in England is likely to rise to 4.1 million in 2011 as the price changes begin to impact.
	Nevertheless, the main impact on fuel poverty will occur in 2012 and will only be known when we have full information on price changes and data from the 2011 and 2012 English Housing Survey (EHS). The EHS provides vital information for calculating the level of fuel poverty, including the mix of domestic fuels used by households, the income of those living in the households and the energy efficiency of the housing stock. Each of the devolved Administrations manages equivalent surveys with the same range of information as fuel poverty is a devolved statistic.

Wind Power: Birds

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if his Department will commission independent research into the effect of (a) offshore and (b) onshore wind turbine bird strikes on bird habitats and populations.

Charles Hendry: Both on and offshore wind farm developers commission specialist consultants to undertake survey work and modelling to determine the likelihood and significance of bird strikes as part of their environmental impact assessments. If a Special Protection Area or other Natura 2000 site is affected, the competent authority is also required to conduct an Appropriate Assessment(1) that will address bird collision risk, if appropriate.
	The Department funds a strategic programme of research into the impacts of offshore wind farms, as part of its rolling programme of Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessments(2). This has included bird tagging and monitoring to determine the foraging behaviour and flight heights of selected seabird species to provide input to collision risk assessments.
	A considerable amount of research has been undertaken to determine the significance of impacts of wind farms on wildlife. The RSPB has noted in its own report on planning for onshore turbines(3) that:
	“the majority of studies indicate that (bird) collision mortality rates per turbine in the UK are low.'
	1 Under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive (92/42/EEC).
	2 See http://www.offshore-sea.org.uk/site/index.php
	3 See http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Positive%20Planning%20 for%20Onshore%20Wind_tcm9-213280.pdf

Wind Power: Hydrogen

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the status is of hydrogen in his Department's energy policy; what consideration he has given to the possibility of storing power from wind farms in the form of hydrogen; and what conclusion he reached.

Charles Hendry: Hydrogen is regarded as having the potential to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the UK and globally in the period 2020-50.
	Hydrogen is an energy carrier (like electricity) which has to be produced using a primary energy source. If used in fuel cells, hydrogen offers zero emissions at the point of use. It can be produced using low carbon routes such as electrolysis using renewable electricity, but currently the most economic route is from fossil fuels such as natural gas.
	Hydrogen has long-term potential for both transport and distributed energy applications, but further research, development and demonstration will be needed before the market can make a realistic assessment of its prospects. It is technically feasible to use hydrogen to store power from wind farms but with the exception of some remote or island installations it does not appear so far to have found favour with wind farm developers. This may reflect the costs of hydrogen relative to that of other energy storage options, or the non-storage option.

TRANSPORT

Buses: GPS

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will develop a strategy for the installation for global positioning system tracking systems on bus fleets.

Norman Baker: In England, outside London, the installation of global positioning systems or other automatic vehicle location (AVL) equipment on bus fleets is a matter for the individual bus operator. Since April 2010 operators have been eligible for a 2% increase in bus subsidy for each bus where AVL equipment is installed and operating.

Departmental Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many senior civil servants in his Department at each grade had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to taking up their appointment in each of the last four years; what consultancy agreements his Department had with those firms in each such year; and how many consultants from those firms have advised his Department in each such year.

Norman Baker: One senior civil servant, a deputy director, worked for Ernst & Young immediately prior to their appointment at the Department for Transport in March 2010. There is no central record of a consultancy agreement with that consultancy for that financial year.

Departmental Telephone Services

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he has allocated to each telephone helpline operated by his Department in 2011-12; and what the purpose is of each such helpline.

Norman Baker: The Department does not currently operate any permanent telephone helplines, but directly manages four public facing contact centres. The budget for each contact centre in 2011-12 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 DVLA 18.5 
			 DSA 3.9 
			 VOSA 1.7 
			 Highways Agency 0.8 
		
	
	These provide a range of services to citizens and businesses via telephone, e-mail and post including: supplying advice and information on services; handling inquiries about driver and vehicle licensing transactions; dealing with bookings for driving tests and vehicle inspections; and providing up to date information on road works and traffic conditions on the strategic road network.
	DSA also provides a small contact centre for the Driving Theory Test. This is part of an externally tendered contract for which costs for the contact centre element are not separately available.

Driving: Age

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the application of provisions of the Equality Act 2010 relating to age discrimination to car rental companies on his Department’s road safety strategy.

Michael Penning: The Government are currently considering the responses to the age discrimination consultation which finished on 25 May 2011, before making a decision on the policy, which will be conveyed in the Government’s published response to the consultation.
	We have thought carefully about whether the different road safety risk faced by older and younger drivers might justify a blanket exception. While these groups clearly do have different risk profiles from other drivers, a blanket exception would be an excessively blunt instrument, and inconsistent with what the Equality Act is trying to achieve. Under the exemption planned for financial services, firms will be able to reflect in their prices the link between age, risk and insurance costs.
	In addition, and irrespective of what is finally decided on any exception, it will be still open to firms to justify objectively any restrictions they may wish to place on who may rent their cars. For example, a firm might require a minimum level of driving experience of those renting vehicles This would be consistent with the road safety evidence which suggests that it is experience, rather than just age, which is a key determinant of road safety risk. We believe such a practice is likely to meet the objective justification test if challenged as indirect age discrimination.

Driving: Licensing

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on proposals to amend driving licence standards for vision, diabetes and epilepsy.

Michael Penning: Responses to the proposed changes for vision and epilepsy are being analysed now with further input being sought from some of those who have responded. Final decisions have not yet been taken and a date for implementation or publication of responses has not been set. However, we do intend to introduce changes to the law in October to allow drivers with insulin treated diabetes to apply for a licence to drive larger lorries and buses.

Driving: Licensing

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and (b) Diabetes UK on proposals to amend driving licence standards for people with diabetes.

Michael Penning: I have held discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) but I have not met with Diabetes UK about the proposal to amend driving licence standards for people with diabetes. I am aware that officials from the DVLA have held discussions with Diabetes UK. Diabetes UK has also submitted written comments as part of the recent public consultation exercise. I plan to introduce legislation in October that will permit drivers with insulin treated diabetes to be considered for driving entitlement to buses and lorries.

Rescue Services: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of lives saved by coastguards operating out of the (a) Forth and (b) Clyde station in the last 10 years; what estimate he has made of the average length of service of staff serving at each station; and what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies at each station consequent upon the decision to close them.

Michael Penning: holding answer 5 September 2011
	The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCC) at Clyde and Forth are responsible for the co-ordination of maritime Search and Rescue. It is organisations such as the volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service and the RNLI that respond to maritime incidents. They will continue to be tasked by the MRCCs to respond to such incidents.
	Her Majesty's Coastguard do not record estimates of lives saved. However, following the debate in Westminster Hall on 24 March 2011 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) published a breakdown of incident statistics for the period 2006-10. This information is available on the MCA's website:
	www.dft.gov.uk/mca
	The average (median) length of service for Coastguards at Clyde Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) is 13.43 years, and at Forth MRCC is 15.98 years.
	With the closure of the MRCCs there will be a loss of 31 posts at Clyde MRCC and 20 posts at Forth MRCC. However, these will be reduced by a mixture of natural wastage and redundancy depending on the agreed implementations schedule.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates bidders for the Thameslink Rolling Stock Project were required to submit (a) their initial bids and (b) any revised bids.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 11 July 2011
	Initial bids were required on 25 June 2009 and further responses from both bidders were required to the following Supplementary Instructions as follows:
	2(nd) Supplementary Instructions on 16 March 2010;
	3(rd) Supplementary Instructions on 16 March 2010;
	4(th) Supplementary Instructions on 26 May 2010;
	5(th) Supplementary Instructions on 24 January 2011.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) senior departmental officials had with lobby companies representing Siemens between 10 July 2008 and 16 June 2011 at which the Thameslink rolling stock contract was discussed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether (a) Ministers in his Department and (b) senior officials met to discuss the Thameslink rolling stock contract with lobbying companies between 10 July 2008 and 16 June 2011.

Theresa Villiers: Details of the Secretary of State for Transport's meetings are published quarterly on the DfT website.
	Since 10 July 2008 no Ministers or senior officials in the Department have met with lobbying companies to discuss the Thameslink rolling stock contract, since 10 July 2008.

Thameslink: Contracts

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of manufacturing industry to discuss the Thameslink contract; on what dates; and with whom.

Theresa Villiers: All ministerial diary commitments are published on the Department for Transport's website.

Vehicle Number Plates: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pieces of correspondence relating to the use of national flags on vehicle number plates he has received in the last 12 months.

Michael Penning: The correspondence records of the Department and its executive agencies (specifically VOSA and DVLA) suggest that no pieces of correspondence regarding national flags on vehicle number plates were received in the 12 months up to September 2011.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on tarmac roads in Afghanistan in each year since the start of UK military operations.

Andrew Mitchell: Since 2007 the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent £17.2 million on improving roads in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
	Up to 2010, an estimated £98 million provided by DFID through the World Bank-managed Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) was used for infrastructure, a large proportion of which supported priority road projects through the National Rural Access Program and National Solidarity Program.
	Road improvement work in Afghanistan is a combination of road construction, repair and improvement, including tarmacing. Figures for annual spend are not available.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many miles of tarmac roads his Department has funded in Afghanistan in each year since the start of UK military operations.

Andrew Mitchell: Between 2007 and 2010, the UK Government have directly contributed to the construction or rehabilitation of approximately 91 miles of roads in Helmand province, Afghanistan. A further 53 miles of road improvements are under way.
	In addition, through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), DFID has indirectly supported the improvement of 6,584 miles of roads through the National Rural Access Program (NRAP), and contributed to construction or upgrades of a further 10,875 miles of roads through the National Solidarity Program.
	Road improvement work in Afghanistan is a combination of road construction, repair and improvement, including tarmacing. Annual figures are not available.

Departmental Research

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development from what organisation each piece of research commissioned by his Department since May 2010 was commissioned; and what the net worth was of the commission in each case.

Stephen O'Brien: I have placed in the Library of the House a table detailing the lead organisations commissioned to undertake research by the central research department at the Department for International Development (DFID) since 1 May 2010, along with the value of each contract or agreement. Research work is routinely subject to competitive tendering.

Departmental Responsibilities

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) meetings and (b) other contacts he has had with Vitol Group since May 2010.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of meetings are available on the DFID website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-DFID/Our-organisation1/Ministers
	and are published every quarter in the normal way.

Libya: Reconstruction

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to post-conflict reconstruction in Libya.

Andrew Mitchell: In classifying expenditure, the Department for International Development (DFID) does not explicitly separate conflict prevention from post-conflict reconstruction. Post-conflict reconstruction work is funded both from the tri-departmental Conflict Pool, part of a separate HM Treasury settlement on conflict resources, and from DFID’s own budget.
	The Conflict Pool is used to fund a wide range of conflict prevention work including activities aimed at preventing the recurrence of violent conflict, for example in the Western Balkans. Planned Conflict Pool expenditure, which includes Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA spend, to 2014-15 is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Conflict Pool 256 270 290 309 
			 Of which:     
			 ODA 130 150 175 200 
			 non-ODA 126 120 115 109 
		
	
	The Government have committed to increase the proportion of UK ODA that supports conflict-affected and fragile states to 30% by 2014-15. In 2010-11, approximately £1.9 billion, around a fifth of UK ODA, supported fragile and conflict-affected states, tackling the drivers of instability, building more responsive and accountable governments and strengthening security and justice overseas. Increasing such spending to 30% of UK ODA means we could double the amount spent on such activities by 2014-15. While we are not able to provide further details of expenditure by year we will publish in our Annual Report and Resource Accounts the percentage of UK ODA spent in fragile and conflict-affected states.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department is funding on nitrogen fixation on farms.

James Paice: holding answer given 7 September 2011
	Nitrogen fixing crops offer an opportunity to reduce synthetic fertiliser use on farms, with the benefit that greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertiliser production and use can be reduced. DEFRA is co-funding a project with industry (LK09106) investigating the use of legume-based mixtures to enhance the nitrogen use efficiency and economic viability of cropping systems. The Department is also funding research on the genetics of grass and clover mixtures (project IF0145) to develop more sustainable and productive pasture systems, and maximise opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation. This represents an investment of £1.7 million in research into nitrogen fixation on farms.

Animal Welfare: Antisocial Behaviour

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support she plans to provide to local authorities seeking to tackle anti-social behaviour involving dogs.

James Paice: DEFRA is working closely with the Home Office on the antisocial behaviour aspects of the issue of dangerous dogs. The Home Office launched a public consultation on proposals to give the police; local authorities and other partners more effective powers to tackle antisocial behaviour. The proposed new, flexible, tools would replace the 18 formal powers currently available to the police and local authorities—including those applicable to dogs. The consultation closed in May and the Home Office is currently considering the responses.

Animal Welfare: Antisocial Behaviour

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on (a) proposed measures to tackle anti-social behaviour and (b) the effect of such measures on the ownership of dangerous and status dogs.

James Paice: My noble Friend the Lord Henley has been working alongside Baroness Browning at the Home Office to see how the antisocial measures can be best applied to such behaviour relating to dogs.

Badgers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the training of operatives to carry out a badger cull;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the cost to Natural England of training associated with her proposals for a badger cull.

James Paice: To obtain a licence to carry out culling operators would be required to demonstrate competence and attend a Government-approved training course. This badger-specific course would include training to cover anatomical and behavioural characteristics of badgers and how these differ from other species, as well as health, safety and security aspects. Additional marksmanship training and assessment would be required for those who may have experience but no formal qualification such as Deer Stalking Certificate or equivalent.
	The farming industry would be expected to design, organise and deliver these training courses. We expect Government will incur some modest costs relating to the approval and auditing of these courses, which will be met from existing resources.

Badgers

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the likely costs to the public purse in each cost category arising from the proposed badger cull in respect of each 150 km² cull area.

James Paice: Our most recent estimates relate to two pilot areas of 350 km(2) each. For each area, the costs to the public purse are expected to be £0.6 million for licensing, £0.3 million for monitoring and £0.1 million for testing and compensation costs in cattle TB incidents arising from perturbation impacts in the areas neighbouring the pilots. If the pilot areas were 150 km(2), these costs would be slightly lower at £0.4 million, £0.2 million and £0.1 million respectively. All the costs are expressed in present value terms. The savings to the public purse from reduced costs of cattle TB incidents prevented by a successful cull are estimated to exceed these costs. Policing costs have not yet been estimated.

Biodiversity

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to her Department's Natural Environment White Paper, what decision-making process will apply to the timing and distribution of funding for forest and biodiversity conservation under the International Climate Fund.

Richard Benyon: Decisions on forestry funding under the International Climate Fund (ICF) will be informed by a recently published independent review commissioned by the Government. This will set out and assess options for how the UK can most effectively scale up its programming on REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in developing countries), offering the best outcomes for carbon abatement, poverty reduction and biodiversity enhancement.
	The UK is currently undertaking a design phase to prepare a programme for UK bilateral support (of up to £300 million) on REDD+ in priority countries. This support will be distributed over the length of the spending review period (2011-15). Resources will be allocated in line with ICF objectives and an agreed set of expected results. The ICF will use a set of high level indicators to measure impact and value for money, including an assessment of ecosystem services saved. In line with commitments set out in the Natural Environment White Paper, all funding decisions will be based on strong scientific evidence. We will ensure environmental monitoring systems are in place to assess impact, thus aiding the design of future programmes.

Bovine tuberculosis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Statement of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 811-2, on Bovine TB, who will provide training courses for those carrying out a badger cull; and whether additional courses will be provided on (a) the physiology of badgers and (b) any health and safety requirements.

James Paice: holding answer 6 September 2011
	To obtain a licence to carry out culling operators would be required to demonstrate competence and attend a Government-approved training course. This badger-specific course would include training to cover anatomical and behavioural characteristics of badgers and how these differ from other species, as well as health, safety and security aspects. Additional marksmanship training and assessment would be required for those who may have experience but no formal qualification such as Deer Stalking Certificate or equivalent.
	The farming industry would be expected to design, organise and deliver these training courses. We expect Government will incur some modest costs relating to the approval and auditing of these courses, which will be met from existing resources.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the potential reduction in compensation and testing costs over (a) five and (b) 10 years under her proposed measures to tackle the spread of bovine TB in cattle.

James Paice: Our central estimate of the potential net reduction in compensation and testing costs to Government for a single badger control area of 350 km(2) is £2.9 million over 10 years, of which £1.1 million occurs in the first five years. These figures are expressed in net present value terms.
	Without any further action to tackle bovine TB, it is estimated that the disease would cost the taxpayer £1 billion in England alone over the next 10 years.

Common Agricultural Policy

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid to farmers in Harrogate District under the common agricultural policy in the last 12 months.

James Paice: The Rural Payments Agency does not record information on payments to farmers on a constituency basis. The information requested could be only obtained at disproportionate cost.

Dogs: Urban Areas

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the size of the (a) dog and (b) cat population in urban areas; and if she will bring forward proposals to institute a national neutering day.

James Paice: No definitive statistics are available on the size of the dog and cat population.
	The Government recommends all owners to have their dogs and cats neutered if they do not intend to breed for them. While there are no plans for the Government to institute a “national neutering day”, many animal welfare organisations promote neutering through a range of initiatives.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the risk that a reduction in resources affects the capability of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency to detect and prevent a foot and mouth outbreak.

James Paice: holding answer 7 September 2011
	The primary responsibility for the detection and prevention of foot and mouth disease (FMD) rests with the animal keeper. The animal keeper has a duty to report any suspicion of FMD to Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). AHVLA and its delivery partners retain their capabilities to respond effectively to outbreaks of FMD and the impact of the current reduction in the AHVLA resources is considered to be very low.

Meat: Labelling

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will bring forward proposals to introduce meat labelling that indicates whether the animal slaughtered has been stunned or non-stunned.

James Paice: holding answer 7 September 2011
	While the Government remain of the view that it would prefer to see all animals stunned before slaughter it has, over the last few months, made it clear that it has no plans to ban the slaughter of animals without a pre cut stun where this is done for religious purposes to meet the needs of a particular religious community. However, Ministers have made it clear that they will wish to discuss options for improving the welfare of animals slaughtered without stunning with the Jewish and Muslim communities. This will be done in the context of work to implement the new EU Regulation (No 1099/2009) on the protection of animals at the time of killing, which comes into effect on 1 January 2013. There will be full consultation with all interested parties before any final decisions are taken.

Pets

George Freeman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that Regulation (EC) 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals is renewed at the end of 2011; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: As announced to the House by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) by written ministerial statement on 30 June 2011, Official Report, columns 63-66WS, the UK will harmonise its rabies entry requirements with the EU-wide pet movement system from Sunday 1 January 2012. Under EU law, the new entry requirements will be directly applicable and will apply as soon as the derogations expire. New domestic legislation is being drafted to repeal the Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals (England) Regulations 2004 and to enforce the EU rules when they take effect on 1 January 2012. This legislation will be laid before Parliament in December 2011.
	On tapeworm controls, following representations made by the UK, the European Commission has come forward with a proposal that would enable us to retain controls with a treatment window of one to five days. We have decided that the evidence doesn't justify maintaining tick controls, though should pet owners chose to do so as part of wider animal welfare considerations they could and we are working with veterinary and welfare organisations to ensure that those travelling with their pets are provided with the necessary advice.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department has allocated in England to convert existing cages for laying hens into enriched cages.

James Paice: DEFRA has made no funding available under the English Rural Development Programme to egg producers in England to enable them to convert out of conventional cages. Our position is that this aid should not be available for meeting minimum legal standards. It would also be totally unfair to all those producers who have already invested heavily in conversion to give those late in doing so financial assistance.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on rates of lameness among broiler chickens in each of the last three years.

James Paice: holding answer 7 September 2011
	DEFRA does not hold annual data on rates of lameness amongst broiler chickens.

Roadmap

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the European Commission's proposed roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe.

James Paice: In January, the Commission published the communication “a resource-efficient Europe”, a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 growth strategy for the coming decade.
	The UK responded positively to the communication via a UK position paper which was sent to the Commission in April. This set out the UK's views on the forthcoming Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, and forms the basis for our discussions with the Commission on the initiative. It is available on DEFRA's website.

Weedkillers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent reports she has received on the contamination of crops and produce by the herbicide aminopyralid; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 7 September 2011
	DEFRA Ministers receive regular information from officials on reports of crop damage allegedly caused by aminopyralid, and the latest of these shows that the number of such reports is decreasing.
	Given the concern about the effects of aminopyralid in manure, the approval holder, Dow AgroSciences, is also providing the Government with regular reports detailing any complaints it has received and what action it has taken. Officials from the Health and Safety Executive's Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD), as the pesticides regulator, also monitor any complaints received directly and are keeping this issue under scrutiny.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to extend tour of duty periods for (a) regular and (b) reservist service personnel serving overseas.

Andrew Robathan: The Force Generation Review is considering a wide range of factors including tour lengths and harmony guidelines; this work is ongoing.

Armed Forces: Housing

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers are based at (a) Redford, (b) Dreghorn and (c) Craigiehall.

Andrew Robathan: The number of Army officers currently based at Redford Barracks, Dreghorn Barracks and Craigiehall is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Location Number of officers 
			 Redford Barracks 59 
			 Dreghorn Barracks 38 
			 Craigiehall 62 
		
	
	This information is taken from the joint personnel administration system and includes regular, non-regular permanent staff, reserves and full-time reserve service officers.

Armed Forces: Private Education

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children of army personnel based at (a) Craigiehall, (b) Redford and (c) Dreghorn have received funding from the public purse for the purposes of attending private schools (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of the number of children based at each site in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Robathan: The number of children of Army personnel based at Craigiehall Camp, Redford Barracks and Dreghorn Barracks, who are recorded as having claimed continuity of education allowance (CEA) on the joint personnel administration (JPA) system are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of children in receipt of CEA 
			 Financial years Craigiehall Camp Redford Barracks Dreghorn Barracks Total 
			 2007-08 20 15 5 40 
			 2008-09 20 10 — 30 
			 2009-10 20 10 — 30 
			 2010-11 20 15 — 35 
			 Total 80 50 5 135 
			 Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest five, ‘—’ represents fewer than five. 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide this information for earlier years as this is held on the single Service legacy systems and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	It is also not possible to identify the proportion of children based at each site, due to the limitations of the JPA system. This is because it is not a mandatory requirement for service personnel to disclose specific details about their children unless they are submitting a claim for CEA.

Army Air Corps

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the establishment is of (a) helicopters by type and (b) fixed wing aircraft of each type of the Army Air Corps;
	(2)  what the establishment is of the Army Air Corps at each rank; and which bases it operates from.

Peter Luff: holding answer 7 September 2011
	The current establishment of aircraft operated by front-line and training Army Air Corps units is as follows:
	
		
			 Helicopter type Forward fleet 
			 Lynx 57 
			 Apache 60 
			 Gazelle 15 
			 Bell 212 7 
			 Islander/Defender (Fixed Wing) 13 
		
	
	The current establishment for Army Air Corps units by rank is shown in the following table. Some of the posts are ‘rank-ranged’ which means that a post could be filled by any of the defined ranks for that post, according to availability.
	
		
			 Rank Regular Territorial Army 
			 Col 5 1 
			 LtCol 17 2 
			 Maj 63 13 
			 Capt 158 13 
			 Capt-Maj 20 0 
			 Lt-Maj 20 6 
			 Lt-Capt 17 0 
			 Lt 2 0 
			 WO1 31 0 
			 W02-W01 50 0 
			 SSgt-WO1 117 14 
			 WO2 62 7 
			 SSgt-WO2 30 0 
			 SSgt 55 4 
		
	
	
		
			 Sgt-WO2 48 4 
			 Sgt-SSgt 10 6 
			 Sgt 135 13 
			 Cpl-Sgt 2 0 
			 Cpl 143 45 
			 LCpl-Cpl 52 12 
			 LCpl 271 124 
			 Air Tpr-Cpl 0 51 
			 LCpl 4 0 
			 Air Tpr-LCpl 41 13 
			 Air-Tpr 427 300 
		
	
	The locations of Army Air Corps main front-line and training units is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Location Unit 
			 Aldergrove 5 Regiment AAC 
			 Aldergrove JHC Flying Station Aldergrove 
			 Brunei 7 Flight AAC 
			 Bury St Edmunds 6 Regiment AAC (V) 
			 Dishforth 9 Regiment AAC 
			 Gutersloh 1 Regiment AAC 
			 Hereford 8 Flight AAC 
			 Middle Wallop 25 Flight AAC 
			 Middle Wallop Army Air Corps Centre 
			 Middle Wallop HQ AAC 
			 Netheravon Air Manoeuvre Planning Team 
			 RAF Odiham 657 Squadron AAC 
			 RAF Shawbury Defence Helicopter Flying School 
			 RNAS Yeovilton Wildcat Force 
			 Wattisham 3 Regiment AAC 
			 Wattisham 4 Regiment AAC 
			 Wattisham Air Manoeuvre Training and Advisory Team 
			 Wattisham HQ Wattisham Station

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings he expects to arise as a result of changing from the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) VTOL to the JSF carrier variant.

Peter Luff: holding answer  7 September  2011
	We expect savings to arise from the lower than anticipated unit price acquisition costs, and lower than anticipated through-life support costs, of the Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant compared with the short take off vertical landing variant. The precise value of these savings remains subject to further work.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has secured source code access to the Joint Strike Fighter for non-operational UK-based upgrades or developments.

Peter Luff: holding answer 7 September 2011
	Through life capability developments and upgrades for the Joint Strike Fighter will be managed collaboratively, for which the necessary agreements are in place.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what unit price he has agreed for the Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant;
	(2)  how many Joint Strike Fighter carrier variants he has ordered.

Peter Luff: holding answer 7 September 2011
	We have yet to make final decisions on the overall number of Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant aircraft we intend to order and will not do so before the next planned Strategic Defence and Security Review. The costs of the Joint Strike Fighter carrier variant will be determined at its main investment decision point. Publishing any details prior to this point would prejudice the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the oral statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 644W, on defence transformation, what assessment his Department made of the likely effects of its proposed changes on local communities; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of this assessment;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the effect on local (a) schools and (b) services of any interval between the relocation of military personnel and their families from Redford and Dreghorn Barracks in 2014-15 and the opening of the new barracks in Kirknewton.

Andrew Robathan: The comprehensive planning work needed to assess the impact of the announcements made on 18 July 2011 is now under way, including engaging and working with the Scottish Government, the local councils and other relevant bodies and agencies.
	Work is also under way to plan the timing and sequencing of the Army moves. Once we have finalised these plans we will, working with the respective local councils and other interested bodies, make assessments of any effect on schools and local services. We have a shared interest in managing local issues, such as school and local services, as effectively as we can for the benefit of both the local community and for our own personnel.
	I will be happy to place copies of these assessments in the Library of the House at the appropriate moment.

EDUCATION

Academies

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who will identify academy schools at risk of (a) educational and (b) financial failure; and who will be responsible for ensuring such a school's governing body takes adequate measures for improvement.

Nick Gibb: Officials from the Department and the YPLA work together to ensure that academies at risk of educational or financial failure take action to achieve rapid and sustained improvement. Ministers are considering the best way to monitor academies' performance in the future, including the role to be played by the new Education Funding Agency (EFA).

Assessments: Standards

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to ensure consistency of academic standards among examination boards.

Nick Gibb: The independent regulator of qualifications, Ofqual, has a statutory responsibility for protecting exam standards. I have therefore asked them to respond directly to my hon. Friend. A copy of Ofqual's reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Children in Care

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked after children were the subject of special guardianship in each local authority in England in each year since 2000; and how many such special guardianship arrangements broke down in each local authority in each year since 2000.

Tim Loughton: Information on the number of looked after children who ceased to be looked after as a result of a special guardianship order is shown in the following table. The table shows information for each local authority for the years ending 31 March 2006 to 2010.
	Information is not available between 2000 and 2005 as special guardianship orders were introduced on 30 December 2005. The figures shown for year ending 31 March 2006 therefore only account for the period 30 December 2005 to 31 March 2006.
	Information on the number of special guardianship arrangements that have broken down is not collected centrally by the Department.
	
		
			 Children who ceased to be looked after during the year ending 31 March by local authority, as a result of a Special Guardianship order being granted  (1, 2, 3)  , years ending 31 March 2006 to 2010, coverage: England 
			 Numbers 
			  2006  (4) 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 England 70 750 1,130 1,230 1,260 
			       
			 North East 10 50 70 80 70 
			 Darlington 0 (5)— (5)— 10 10 
			 Durham (5)— 5 15 10 10 
			 Gateshead 0 0 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 10 15 5 
			 Middlesbrough 0 (5)— 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 0 5 (5)— 10 10 
			 North Tyneside 0 (5)— (5)— 10 (5)— 
			 Northumberland 0 5 15 (5)— 5 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 (5)— 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 South Tyneside (5)— 5 (5)— (5)— 5 
			 Stockton-On-Tees 0 5 5 (5)— (5)— 
			 Sunderland 0 5 10 10 10 
			       
			 North West 10 130 220 230 250 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 
			 Blackpool 0 (5)— 5 (5)— (5)— 
			 Bolton (5)— (5)— 15 15 10 
			 Bury (5)— 5 10 10 20 
			 Cheshire 0 10 (5)— (5)— (6)— 
			 Cheshire East (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (5)— 
			 Cheshire West & Chester (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 5 
			 Cumbria (5)— 10 15 10 15 
			 Halton 0 0 5 (5)— 0 
			 Knowsley 0 (5)— 10 10 5 
			 Lancashire (5)— 10 25 40 20 
			 Liverpool 0 15 25 10 10 
			 Manchester 0 10 25 35 45 
			 Oldham 0 (5)— 10 10 (5)— 
			 Rochdale (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 10 
			 Salford 0 (5)— 5 15 20 
			 Sefton (5)— 10 5 (5)— 5 
			 St Helens 0 (5)— 10 (5)— 10 
			 Stockport 0 0 5 (5)— (5)— 
			 Tameside 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Trafford 0 0 (5)— 5 (5)— 
			 Warrington 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Wigan 0 10 10 20 20 
			 Wirral 0 15 25 15 25 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 10 50 80 100 120 
			 Barnsley 0 0 10 10 (5)— 
			 Bradford 0 (5)— (5)— 0 (5)— 
			 Calderdale (5)— 5 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Doncaster 0 10 10 (5)— 15 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 0 (5)— 0 5 (5)— 
			 Kirklees (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Leeds (5)— 25 35 30 25 
			 North East Lincolnshire (5)— 0 0 0 (5)— 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 (5)— (5)— 10 5 
			 North Yorkshire 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 20 
			 Rotherham 0 0 (5)— (5)— 10 
			 Sheffield 0 0 5 15 10 
			 Wakefield (5)— 0 (5)— 10 (5)— 
			 York (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 
			       
			 East Midlands 0 30 60 60 70 
			 Derby 0 (5)— 10 5 (5)— 
			 Derbyshire 0 (5)— 5 (5)— (5)— 
			 Leicester 0 (5)— 5 5 15 
			 Leicestershire 0 10 10 10 5 
			 Lincolnshire 0 (5)— (5)— 10 10 
			 Northamptonshire 0 10 10 15 (5)— 
			 Nottingham 0 (5)— 15 5 20 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Rutland 0 0 (5)— (5)— 0 
			       
			 West Midlands (5)— 80 90 100 110 
			 Birmingham (5)— 10 25 30 30 
			 Coventry 0 10 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Dudley 0 0 (5)— 0 (5)— 
			 Herefordshire 0 (5)— 5 0 (5)— 
			 Sandwell 0 20 (5)— (5)— 10 
			 Shropshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Solihull 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Staffordshire 0 20 20 20 10 
			 Stoke-On-Trent (5)— 10 (5)— 15 20 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Walsall 0 0 (5)— 5 (5)— 
			 Warwickshire (5)— (5)— 10 10 10 
			 Wolverhampton 0 0 (5)— (5)— 5 
			 Worcestershire 0 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			       
			 East of England (5)— 50 100 110 110 
			 Bedfordshire 0 5 15 (5)— (6)— 
			 Bedford Borough (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (5)— 
			 Central Bedfordshire (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (5)— 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 (5)— 5 5 15 
			 Essex 0 10 20 25 25 
			 Hertfordshire 0 15 10 10 20 
			 Luton 0 (5)— 5 10 10 
			 Norfolk 0 0 (5)— 10 5 
			 Peterborough 0 5 10 5 5 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 0 0 10 (5)— 
			 Suffolk (5)— 10 20 10 10 
			 Thurrock 0 0 5 15 10 
		
	
	
		
			 London 30 170 270 300 270 
			 Inner London 10 100 170 I8O 150 
			 Camden 5 10 20 10 15 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 0 10 20 10 10 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham (5)— 10 25 20 15 
			 Haringey 0 5 20 10 15 
			 Islington 0 10 5 25 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 5 10 (5)— 
			 Lambeth (5)— (5)— 10 30 20 
			 Lewisham 0 10 10 10 (5)— 
			 Newham 0 10 10 10 20 
			 Southwark (5)— 10 10 25 15 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 15 15 10 10 
			 Wandsworth 0 5 10 5 25 
			 Westminster 0 (5)— 15 (5)— (5)— 
			       
			 Outer London 10 70 90 120 110 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 (5)— 15 (5)— 10 
			 Barnet (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 5 
			 Bexley 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Brent (5)— (5)— 10 15 10 
			 Bromley 0 (5)— (5)— 10 (5)— 
			 Croydon 0 5 (5)— (5)— 10 
			 Ealing 0 (5)— 10 15 15 
			 Enfield 0 (5)— 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 Greenwich (5)— 10 10 20 15 
			 Harrow 0 0 (5)— 5 (5)— 
			 Havering 0 (5)— (5)— 5 5 
			 Hillingdon 0 (5)— (5)— 5 0 
			 Hounslow (5)— 10 10 15 5 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Merton (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 
			 Redbridge 0 (5)— 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 0 0 0 (5)— (5)— 
			 Sutton 0 (5)— 10 (5)— 0 
			 Waltham Forest 0 (5)— 10 (5)— 5 
			       
			 South East 10 130 180 170 170 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 (5)— 0 (5)— 0 
			 Brighton and Hove (5)— 5 10 5 10 
			 Buckinghamshire (5)— (5)— 10 (5)— (5)— 
			 East Sussex 0 (5)— 10 5 10 
			 Hampshire (5)— 20 30 25 25 
			 Isle of Wight 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 
			 Kent 0 25 30 20 20 
			 Medway Towns 0 5 15 10 10 
			 Milton Keynes (5)— 10 (5)— 5 5 
			 Oxfordshire 0 5 15 15 15 
			 Portsmouth 0 (5)— 0 15 5 
			 Reading 0 10 5 10 (5)— 
			 Slough 0 5 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Southampton 0 (5)— 0 0 0 
			 Surrey (5)— 5 35 25 25 
			 West Berkshire 0 (5)— 0 (5)— 0 
			 West Sussex (5)— 10 10 10 25 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 (5)— 0 5 (5)— 
			 Wokingham 0 (5)— 0 (5)— 0 
			       
		
	
	
		
			 South West (5)— 60 60 90 100 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 5 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Bournemoulh (5)— (5)— (5)— 5 0 
			 Bristol, City of 0 10 10 10 20 
			 Cornwall 0 10 10 10 15 
			 Devon (5)— 10 10 20 25 
			 Dorset 0 (5)— 0 5 (5)— 
			 Gloucestershire 0 5 5 0 10 
			 Isles Of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Plymouth 0 10 (5)— 10 10 
			 Poole 0 0 (5)— (5)— 0 
			 Somerset 0 (5)— (5)— 10 (5)— 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Swindon 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 Torbay 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Wiltshire 0 (5)— (5)— (5)— (5)— 
			 (1 )Source: SSDA903 return on children looked after. (2 )Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked after in the year has been counted. (3 )Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (4 )Special Guardianship orders were introduced on 30 December 2005. Consequently figures for year ending 31 March 2006 only account for the last three months of the data collection year. (5 )Figures not shown in order to protect confidentiality. (6 )Not applicable. Note: To ensure that no individual can be identified from statistical tables, we use conventions for the rounding and suppression of very small numbers. National and regions level figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers at local authority level have been rounded to the nearest five . Source:  SSDA 903

GCE A Level: Mathematics

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher achieved one of those grades in (a) mathematics and (b) a science in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The information for 2010 A level achievements is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number/Percentage 
			 Number of students taking A levels 267,345 
			 Number of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher 54,390 
			 Percentage of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher 20.3 
			 Number of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher who achieved one of those grades in mathematics 25,864 
			 Percentage of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher who achieved one of those grades in mathematics 47.6 
			 Number of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher who achieved one of those grades in science 25,765 
			 Percentage of students achieving A-level grades of AAB or higher who achieved one of those grades in science 47.4 
			 Notes: 1. Students get counted once at their highest grade in each subject category. 2. Science includes biology, chemistry, physics and other sciences, i.e. science single award, electronics, environmental sciences, geology and science in society. 3. The figures in this answer are derived from the final data collected in April 2011 for the 2010 Performance tables.

GCSE

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what proportion of Year 11 pupils were entered for a (a) GCSE in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) a modern foreign language, (iv) physics, (v) chemistry, (vi) biology, (vii) science, (viii) English, (ix) English literature and (x) mathematics, (b) OCR National Level 2 in ICT and (c) a diploma in digital applications at each academy in academic year 2009-10;
	(2)  what proportion of Year 11 pupils eligible for free school meals were entered for a (a) GCSE in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) a modern foreign language, (iv) physics, (v) chemistry, (vi) biology, (vii) Science, (viii) English, (ix) English literature and (x) mathematics, (b) OCR National Level 2 in ICT and (c) a diploma in digital applications at each academy in academic year 2009-10;
	(3)  what proportion of Year 11 academy pupils were entered for a (a) GCSE in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) a modern foreign language, (iv) physics, (v) chemistry, (vi) biology, (vii) science, (viii) English, (ix) English literature and (x) mathematics, (b) OCR National Level 2 in ICT and (c) a diploma in digital applications in academic year 2009-10;
	(4)  what proportion of Year 11 academy pupils who were eligible for free school meals were entered for a (a) GCSE in (i) history, (ii) geography, (iii) a modern foreign language, (iv) physics, (v) chemistry, (vi) biology, (vii) science, (viii) English, (ix) English literature and (x) mathematic, (b) OCR National Level 2 in ICT and (c) a diploma in digital applications in academic year 2009-10;
	(5)  what proportion of key stage four exam entries by students who were eligible for free school meals were in (a) academic non-applied GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications equivalent to A* to C GCSEs for each school with academy status in academic year 2009-10;
	(6)  what proportion of key stage four exam entries were in (a) academic non-applied GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications equivalent to A* to C GCSEs for each school with academy status in academic year 2009-10;
	(7)  what proportion of exam entries that achieved GCSE grades A* to C or the equivalent were in (a) academic non-applied GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications equivalent to A* to C GCSEs in each academy school in academic year 2009-10;
	(8)  what proportion of exam entries by pupils who were eligible for free school meals and who achieved GCSE grades A* to C or the equivalent at each school with academy status were in (a) academic non-applied GCSEs, (b) applied GCSEs and (c) other qualifications equivalent to A* to C GCSEs in academic year 2009-10;
	(9)  what proportion of key stage 4 examination entries for pupils eligible for free school meals consisted of academic non-applied GCSEs in each academy in academic year 2009-10;
	(10)  what proportion of year 11 academy pupils achieved at least (a) five A* to C GCSEs, not including any other qualification judged to be equivalent and (b) five A* to C GCSEs including English and mathematics but not including any other qualification judged equivalent to GSCEs in each academy in academic year 2009-10; and what proportion of pupils were entitled to free school meals in each such case.

Nick Gibb: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

GCSE

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of key stage four exam entries consisted of academic non-applied GCSEs in each school that has been replaced by an academy in the last year of each such school's existence; and what the name is of each academy that has replaced a school.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Reading

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Reading West constituency and (b) Reading achieved a rating of (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate in their Ofsted inspection in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Miriam Rosen, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 6 September 2011
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Since 2005, maintained school inspections have been carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Ofsted records all judgments made by inspectors in section 5 inspections, including the judgement for overall effectiveness of the school.
	Maintained schools inspected under section 5 include nursery, primary, secondary (including academies and city technology colleges), special schools and pupil referral units.
	Tables A to F show the number of maintained schools judged to be outstanding, good, satisfactory and inadequate for overall effectiveness at their section 5 inspection during each academic year between 2005/06 and the end of the spring term 2010/11 inclusive in the Reading West Constituency, Reading local authority and England as a whole.
	Statistics covering the outcomes of all inspections carried out in each academic year since 2005/06 can be found at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/advanced-resources-search/results/%2A/all/all/any/200/any?solrsort=im_search_date_mktime%20desc
	The most recent official statistics release covering the outcomes of maintained school inspections carried out during the autumn and spring terms 2010/11 were released on 15 June 2011 and can be accessed at the same link. Outcomes of inspections carried out during the full academic year 2010/11 are due to be published in November 2011.
	In September 2009 Ofsted implemented a policy of more proportionate inspection using risk assessment and deliberately set out to inspect a greater proportion of previously satisfactory or inadequate schools and a smaller proportion of previously good or outstanding schools. This led to a skew in the sample of schools inspected and means that comparisons between years should be treated with caution as some differences are due to the different sample of schools inspected during the different periods.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			 Tables A t  o F: Overall effectiveness judg  ments for schools inspected under section 5 in the Reading West constituency  (1)  , Reading local authority  (2)   and England in each academic year since 2005/06 (number of schools) 
			 Table A 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2005/06 Reading West constituency 12 2 7 1 2 
			  Reading local authority 15 3 5 5 2 
			  England 6,128 648 2,933 2,063 484 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2006/07 Reading West constituency 14 0 5 7 2 
			  Reading local authority 19 1 6 10 2 
			  England 8,323 1,150 3,899 2,810 464 
		
	
	
		
			 Table C 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2007/08 Reading West constituency 15 2 5 7 1 
			  Reading local authority 19 2 7 8 2 
			  England 7,866 1,146 3,838 2,507 375 
		
	
	
		
			 Table D 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2008/09 Reading West constituency 16 4 8 3 1 
			  Reading local authority 18 6 7 5 0 
			  England 7,065 1,327 3,512 1,955 271 
		
	
	
		
			 Table E 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2009/10 Reading West constituency 13 1 4 6 2 
			  Reading local authority 18 2 5 10 1 
			  England 6,171 782 2,631 2,281 477 
		
	
	
		
			 Table F 
			    Overall effectiveness 
			 Academic year Area Total inspections Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate 
			 2010/11 (autumn and spring terms only) Reading West constituency 7 3 2 2 0 
			  Reading local authority 10 3 4 3 0 
			  England 4,062 408 1,805 1,592 257 
			 (1) Reading West constituency falls across two local authorities: Reading and West Berkshire. (2) Reading local authority encompasses parts of the constituencies of Reading East and Reading West.

Teachers: Pensions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the level of employers' contribution for academy school pension funds will be the same as that for other schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Academies pay the same level of employers' contribution for teachers, to the Teachers' Pension Scheme, as all other employers within the scheme. The employer contribution rate is currently 14.1%.
	Academies are required to offer Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) membership to all non-teaching staff. The scheme's framework is set out in the LGPS regulations. It is administered by different local pension funds and so employer contributions can vary. However, the LGPS regulations state “pension authorities should have regard to the desirability of maintaining as nearly constant a common rate across employers as possible”.

TREASURY

Air Force: Military Bases

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department, (c) political advisers and (d) civil servants have discussed the future of RAF bases within the context of the Defence Transformation review.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 7 September 2011
	Treasury Ministers, political advisers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Banks: EU Action

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposed Capital Requirements Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: On 20 July 2011, the European Commission adopted proposals on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, which will replace the current Capital Requirements Directive with a regulation and a directive. The first is the draft regulation on prudential requirements and the second is the draft directive on the access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms. I refer the hon. Member to my Explanatory Memorandum on the Commission's proposals, which has been deposited today, of which copies will be available in the Library.

Child Tax Credit

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2011, Official Report, column 461W, on habitual residence, what level of child tax credit is available in each other EU member state; whether the child tax credit helpline makes language provision for claimants calling from other EU member states; what plans he has to record tax credits paid to non-UK residents; what estimate he has made of the amount of child tax credit overpaid to non-UK residents; what mechanism is in place for recovering such overpaid child tax credits once the recipients have returned to their home country; and how much has been reclaimed in overpaid child tax credit from non-UK residents following their return to their home country.

Justine Greening: Information about the level of child tax credit payable in respect of children resident in other member states is available only at disproportionate cost. This is because the rate of award will vary from case to case depending on the income of claimants, whether child tax credit is payable at the appropriate UK rate or as part of a UK family benefit supplement in those cases where entitlement to family benefit arises in more than one member state; for example, where the parents are working and insured in two different member states.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) encourages customers to ask a member of the family or trusted friend to provide help with interpretation where appropriate, but HMRC Contact Centres offer language/interpretation services if customers need assistance. Further details about these services can be found online at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/contactus/particular-needs.htm#4
	HM Revenue and Customs maintains a database that records the number of ongoing child benefit awards under EC Regulations. The database is currently being updated to provide comparable data about child tax credit awards.
	The EC Social Security Coordinating Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009 contain cross-border recovery provisions which allow for one EEA member state to recover overpayments on behalf of another member state, either from arrears of benefit, deduction from ongoing payment of benefit or by instalments if benefit is not in payment. The regulations also provide for enforcement action to be taken through the courts of the country in which the person is now residing, subject to the domestic rules in force in that country. However, information about the amount of child tax credit overpaid to, or recovered from, non-UK residents could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a timetable for the commencement of compensation payments to those categories of Equitable Life policy holders who have not yet begun to receive compensation, together with an indication of the size of the payments to be made; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Payments began on the 30 June, and hundreds of payments have been made to date. Payment volumes will continue to be ramped up over the coming months as the scheme's complex payment processes are refined further.
	Payments will be made in accordance with the profile set out at the spending review settlement—with £1 billion allocated to the scheme in the first three years of this spending review—and the Independent Commission on Equitable Life Payments' recommendations on the prioritisation of payments.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what payments he has made to Equitable Life policy holders; and what further payments he plans to make in 2011.

Mark Hoban: Payments began on 30 June, and hundreds of payments have been made to date. Payment volumes will continue to be ramped up over the coming months as the scheme's complex payment processes are refined further.
	Payments will be made in accordance with the prioritisation criteria set out in the scheme rules, available at:
	http://equitablelifepaymentscheme.independent.gov.uk/resources/elps_main_doc_final.htm

Eurostar: Sterling

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will seek an explanation from the operator of Eurostar on the reasons for its refusal to accept British currency from customers seeking to purchase refreshments on its services.

Mark Hoban: It would not be appropriate for Government to comment on a corporate policy decision. Eurostar has announced that, in response to customer feedback, restrictions of the use of sterling cash will not be taken forward.

Excise Duties: Wines

Mel Stride: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to introduce a sliding scale on rates in excise duty for wine production similar to that for beer production.

Justine Greening: There are no plans to introduce a sliding scale on rates for wine duty which are similar to that for beer. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review as part of the Budget process.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 26 May 2011 regarding his constituent Mr Simon Licence.

Justine Greening: The hon. Member's letter regarding his constituent Mr Simon Licence, has been transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

National Insurance Contributions: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many businesses in Northern Ireland have participated in the national insurance contribution holiday since September 2010;
	(2)  how many businesses in East Antrim constituency have participated in the national insurance contribution holiday since September 2010.

David Gauke: As of 15 August, HMRC has received 246 successful applications from businesses in Northern Ireland and received 10 successful applications from businesses in East Antrim constituency.

Renewable Energy: Developing Countries

Jim McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to work with the International Monetary Fund to promote renewable energy in developing countries.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), and his officials have regular discussions with the International Monetary Fund on a range of issues. The role of the IMF is to promote international monetary co-operation and exchange rate stability, facilitate the balanced growth of international trade, and provide resources to help members in balance of payments difficulties or to assist with poverty reduction.
	Given the potential adverse effects of continuing with non-renewable sources of energy—both economically and environmentally—the Fund has an interest in ensuring that developing countries take a sustainable approach to these issues as part of their broader economic strategy.
	More broadly, the UK is working to encourage the development of renewable energy technologies through the World Bank and other multilateral development banks.

Tax Evasion: Criminal Proceedings

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions for tax evasion of (a) companies and (b) individuals there have been in each year since 1990; and how many convictions led to (i) imprisonment and (ii) fines in excess of (A) £10,000, (B) £100,000 and (C) £1,000,000 in each category in each such year.

David Gauke: The majority of tax evasion cases are dealt with using cost-effective civil settlement procedures.
	A breakdown of prosecutions for tax evasion between individuals and those related to companies or organised criminal attacks is available only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the total numbers of cases prosecuted for income tax, corporation tax, VAT, excise and other tax offences are set out in the following table for the available years. Cases may relate to one or a number of persons.
	
		
			  Cases 
			 2006-07 389 
			 2007-08 416 
			 2008-09 340 
			 2009-10 237 
			 2010-11 385 
		
	
	Details of sentences are not held centrally and are available only at disproportionate cost.
	HMRC is not the prosecuting authority. Cases are referred to, but prosecutions are undertaken by, the relevant independent prosecuting authorities. Working in partnership with those authorities, HMRC expects to deliver significant year on year increases in prosecutions as part of the reinvestment package announced in the 2010 spending review.

VAT: Golf

Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the Value Added Tax regulations so that charges levied on golf clubs operated by proprietors are the same as those levied on non-profit making clubs; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Principal VAT directive, which governs the application of VAT in the European Union, requires member states to apply a VAT exemption to certain activities in the public interest, including supplies of sporting services by non-profit making organisations. Subscription fees charged by non-profit-making golf clubs are therefore exempt from VAT. The exemption does not extend to subscription fees received by proprietary (profit-making) clubs nor is there any scope to extend it in this way.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business Links: Manpower

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Business Link advisers were working in (a) each region and (b) each parliamentary constituency in May 2010.

Mark Prisk: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The regional development agencies who manage the Business Link regional service in England have reported the following levels of Business Link advisers were working in each region at end March 2010 as follows:
	
		
			 Number of Business Link advisers (FTE) 
			 Region Position at end March 2010 
			 East of England 112 
			 East midlands 93 
			 London 51 
			 North-east 138 
			 North-west 225 
			 South-east 199 
			 South-west 130 
			 West midlands 261 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 223 
			 Total 1,432 
		
	
	(b) The Regional Development Agencies do not hold the information requested at a parliamentary constituency level.

Business Links: Training

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) training and (b) professional development has been provided to Business Link advisers; and how these have been accredited.

Mark Prisk: The nine regional Business Link advisory services in England have supported their Business Link advisers through formal training to gain accreditation against a National Occupational Standard (e.g. SFEDI Business Link Broker standard). In addition, where their role involves offering specialist advice (e.g. finance, innovation, skills), they are further supported to achieve relevant professional qualifications or accreditation of competence.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many hours each business mentor is expected to provide (a) per week and (b) per month to the Business Mentoring Scheme.

Mark Prisk: No requirements have been set to dictate or to restrict the number of hours each business mentor is expected to provide. The general rule of principle—and a SFEDI (the sector skills body for enterprise and enterprise support) recommendation—is that a volunteer mentor should have no more than three mentoring relationships at any one time. However, this can vary according to the policy of the mentoring organisation, the type of mentoring being offered, the geography involved and the needs of the small business. Ultimately, the frequency of contact will be agreed between mentor and mentee. Full-time or professional mentors will be able to take on more mentees as time permits.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what training (a) has been and (b) will be provided to business mentors under the Business Mentoring Scheme; and how this training has been or will be accredited.

Mark Prisk: The type of training for individual mentors will be a matter for the mentoring organisation to which they belong and will vary according to the operating model of the organisation, the type of mentoring being delivered and the experience level of the mentor. The majority of mentoring organisations train their mentors and SFEDI—a key provider of enterprise training—offers a range of the mentoring courses. Indeed all bank mentors go through one of SFEDI's enterprise mentoring courses.
	All of the organisations available via mentorsme.org have been assessed by the British Banker's Association to ensure that they meet certain quality standards, including a programme of training and development of mentors and having a robust process for identifying and matching mentees.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information he plans to collect on the (a) number and (b) size of businesses taking up advice through the Business Mentoring Scheme; and when he plans to publish this information.

Mark Prisk: Mentorsme.co.uk, Britain's first online mentoring gateway, was launched on 4 July and provides a single point of access for those seeking mentoring and those seeking to be mentors, covering the whole of the UK.
	Since the launch there have been over 21,303 visits and 123,000 page views. Plans for the monitoring and evaluation of the portal are currently being agreed with the British Bankers Association.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what process will be followed to appoint mentors under the Business Mentoring Scheme.

Mark Prisk: People can become mentors by joining an established mentoring organisation such as those now available on mentorsme.co.uk. The site currently includes approximately 40 mentoring organisations providing access to around 10,000 mentors. All of these organisations have signed up to a uniform minimum standard developed by organisations across the sector. Mentoring organisations are invited to register their interest in becoming part of the mentoring network via the website:
	http://www.mentorsme.co.uk/about
	and must complete a questionnaire which allows them to be screened to ensure they meet certain quality standards.
	The site also allows business professionals to offer their services as a business mentor via the mentoring organisations listed. All of these organisations will have their own quality assurance processes and recruitment processes for potential mentors.

Overseas Students

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what legal advice he has received on the eligibility of EU students (a) to the National Scholarship Programme and (b) for fee waivers; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Legal advice obtained by the Department is confidential and the subject of legal professional privilege.
	EU students are only eligible for National Scholarship Programme awards that are related to fees.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of bids which were successful in Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund was for each administrative English region.

Mark Prisk: Decisions on Round 2 bids have not yet been made as bids are being assessed. We expect to make announcements on successful bids in the autumn.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he will complete the process of validation of successful bids for the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: We do not have dates yet for the completion of validation process of successful bids for the Regional Growth Fund. Over 490 bids have been received in Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund. Bids are being assessed and will be forwarded to the Ministerial Panel before decisions can be announced in the autumn.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department are working primarily on validation of successful bids for the Regional Growth Fund.

Mark Prisk: There are 11 (FTE) officials drawn from Government Departments who are based in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and working primarily on the assessment of bids received in Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund.

Students: Lone Parents

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with (a) the Minister for Women and Equalities and (b) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the eligibility of lone parents for fee waiver or remission following the Government's proposed changes to fees for courses.

Edward Davey: None.

CABINET OFFICE

Mortality Rates

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) life expectancy, (b) cancer survival rate and (c) infant mortality rate was for the five (i) most and (ii) least prosperous primary care trust areas in England in each year since 1997.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011;
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the (a) life expectancy, (b) cancer survival rate and (c) infant mortality rate was for (i) the five wealthiest primary care trust areas in England and (ii) the five poorest primary care trust areas in England in each year since 1997.
	There is currently no indicator available for the wealth of the population of primary care organisations in England, and an individual's wealth is not recorded at either death or cancer registration. However, there is an income deprivation indicator available for primary care organisations, based on the percentage of the population of each area living in low income families reliant on means tested benefits(1). This indicator has been used as a proxy for defining wealthy and poor areas in this answer, although it should be noted that populations and families could be wealthy but have a low income and vice versa.
	Life expectancy figures are calculated as three-year rolling averages and are available for primary care organisations, from 2001-03 to 2007-09, for males and females separately. Table 1 provides the period life expectancy at birth for (a) males and (b) females living in (i) the five primary care organisations with the lowest percentage of the population living in low income families, and (ii) the five primary care organisations with the highest percentage of the population living in low income families.
	One-year cancer survival index figures are available for individual years 1996 to 2006, all cancers combined, persons resident in each primary care organisation, for patients diagnosed during 1996-2006 and followed up to the end of 2007. Table 2 provides one-year survival index figures for all cancers combined for persons living in (i) the five primary care organisations with the lowest percentage of the population living in low income families, and (ii) the five primary care organisations with the highest percentage of the population living in low income families.
	Table 3 provides infant mortality rates for each year from 1997 to 2009 (the latest year available), for (i) the five primary care organisations with the lowest percentage of the population living in low income families, and (ii) the five primary care organisations with the highest percentage of the population living in low income families.
	Copies of Tables 1 to 3 have been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	(1) This small area indicator was developed by the Association of Public Health Observatories, on behalf of the Department of Health, for Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. The indicator is based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (2010) income domain score.

BBC Monitoring

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when his Department will issue a response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Annual Report 2010-11 in respect of BBC Monitoring.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office plans to issue a response to the ISC’s Annual Report on 14 September.

BBC Monitoring

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent meetings have taken place between members of his ministerial team and officials working in his Department and representatives of the BBC regarding funding for BBC Monitoring.

Francis Maude: There was intensive consultation on funding between Cabinet Office and BBC Monitoring (BBCM) teams up to the beginning of April when the funding profile for BBCM over its transition (2011-12, 2012-13) to BBC Main from 2013-14 was finalised. Since funding has now been settled the focus of ongoing consultations is now on making the transition work for BBCM and for its customers in Government.

BBC Monitoring

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the effects on local economies of the implementation of the outcomes of the 2010 spending review in respect of funding for BBC Monitoring.

Francis Maude: The outcome of the 2010 spending review was that BBC Monitoring (BBGM) would transition to BBC Main from 2013-14. The BBC will become responsible for how and from where agreed services are delivered.

Civil Contingencies Secretariat

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will review the effectiveness and efficiency of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.

Francis Maude: The effectiveness and efficiency of all teams in the Cabinet Office is monitored through the Cabinet Office’s annual business planning and performance process. There are no plans to conduct a specific review into the work of the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.

Civil Service Live Conference

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost to the public purse was of Civil Service Live on 5-7 July 2011.

Francis Maude: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods (the publisher of Civil Service World).
	The events are free for civil servants to attend. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates. These will have followed the travel and subsistence guidelines set by Departments.

Common Good Communications Council

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on implementing the proposal for a Common Good Communications Council; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Preparatory meetings have been held between officials and public sector broadcasters.

Corruption

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether account is taken of (a) convictions for corruption and (b) breaches of rules in (i) the UK and (ii) the EU when deciding on the award of Government contracts.

Francis Maude: Much public procurement is governed by European Union Procurement Directives, implemented in UK legislation. These rules explicitly require bidders to be excluded if they or their directors have been convicted of certain offences, including corruption. Exclusion is permitted for other wrong doing, including other criminal offences or gross professional misconduct.

Creative Industries

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the creative industries are included in the Office for National Statistics economic indicators.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking whether creative industries are captured in any economic indicators produced by the ONS.
	Economic indicators are routinely published according to the Standard Industrial Classification 2003. The concept of the creative industries is not easily constructed from the SIC and so economic indicators are not regularly published as an aggregate. However, an article was published on the ONS website in early 2011 which detailed the nine main industries that form the UK's creative sector, as identified by the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS).
	This article can be found at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?page Size=50&newquery=creative+industries

Departmental Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times officials in the Office of Government Commerce met representatives of (a) Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, (b) Innisfree Ltd and (c) 3i Infrastructure plc between 1 January 2008 and 16 June 2011.

Francis Maude: There are no records of meetings between officials in the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and representatives of (a) Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, (b) Innisfree Ltd and (c) 3i Infrastructure plc between January 2008 and June 2010, when OGC was absorbed into the Efficiency and Reform Group.

Departmental Manpower

Alan Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has issued directions to staff in (a) UK Trade and Investment and (b) Business Links on communications with hon. Members about potential (i) job losses and (ii) organisational changes within each organisation.

Francis Maude: holding answer 7 September 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Business and Enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), on 6 September 2011, Official Report, columns 609-10W.

Departmental Procurement

Owen Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what methodology (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible used to estimate savings to the public purse made in respect of its procurement and purchasing since May 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office and its NDPBs calculate savings on their procurement expenditure by comparing (a) the total annual spend for each category of goods and services with the equivalent expenditure for 2009-10 and (b) current prices with previous prices paid for commodities where existing contracts have been renegotiated or new contracts put in place since May 2010.

Director of Public Prosecutions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2011, Official Report, column 262W, on Director of Public Prosecutions, whether Lord Macdonald of River Glaven cleared his contract with News Corporation with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 891W.

Financial Services: Foreign Workers

David Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has undertaken an impact assessment of jobs being offshored by private companies holding public sector contracts in the next five years.

Francis Maude: The Government have not undertaken any impact assessment of the number of jobs delivering public sector contracts likely to be offshored in the next five years. It is for suppliers to determine the number and location of jobs required to enable them to fulfil any given contract.

Financial Services: Foreign Workers

David Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has estimated how many jobs are likely to be offshored by companies holding Government contracts over the next five years.

Francis Maude: The Government do not hold this information as it is for suppliers to determine the number and location of jobs required to enable them to fulfil any given contract.

Freedom of Information

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to (a) the publication by the Prime Minister of his meetings with media executives and (b) paragraph 74 of the Third Report of the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09, on written parliamentary questions, HC 952, if he will publish a list of each meeting the Rt. hon. Member for Doncaster North held with newspaper and media proprietors, editors and senior media executives, while he was Minister in the Cabinet Office, disclosing the same information as if a request had been submitted under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provisions and using the same criteria and methodology as the Prime Minister in compiling his list.

Francis Maude: It is not for this Government to account for the actions of the previous Administration.

Freedom of Information

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner's office on steps to improve his Department's performance in responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000;
	(2)  how many subject access requests his Department has received in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many requests his Department has received to conduct internal reviews of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 his Department has received in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what proportion of such requests were answered within 20 working days;
	(5)  how many people are employed by his Department to monitor and respond to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; what level of training each such member of staff has received; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 7 September 2011
	Officials from the Cabinet Office met with the Deputy Commissioner on 11 May to discuss the improvements necessary when responding to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and, following the undertaking agreed with the Information Commissioner on 22 June, on 4 August to discuss the steps being taken to put these measures in place and the progress made in improving the handling of requests.
	Requests for information held by the Cabinet Office are dealt with by the most appropriate area within the Department. The Cabinet Office operates a centralised system for managing cases and for authorising disclosure of information involving a team of five staff. All people in the team receive training in dealing with handling information requests
	http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/training_ of_foi_staff_in_cabinet
	Guidance on the handling of requests for information is available to all staff on the departmental intranet and is supplemented by advice by the central team as necessary.
	Statistics on the implementation of FOI in central government, including the Cabinet Office are available on the Ministry of Justice website
	www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation.htm
	The Cabinet Office received 44 subject access requests for information under the Data Protection Act in the period 1 July 2010-31 July 2011.

Government Departments: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on eliminating pre-qualification questionnaires for central Government procurements under £100,000.

Francis Maude: 14 out of 17 Departments have confirmed that they have eliminated the use of pre-qualification questionnaires for procurements below £100,000. A further Department will have eliminated their use by the end of September 2011. Work is under way with the two remaining Departments, which have additional security requirements to consider, to implement necessary changes to their pre-qualification processes.

Licensing

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has considered the merits of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing obligations in respect of procurement policy Action Note 3/11, issued on 31 January 2011.

Francis Maude: The Government require that their ICT should be built on open standards, wherever possible, to improve competition and avoid lock-in to a particular technology or supplier.
	Fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) specifications may present some difficulties for the open source software development model in terms of patents and royalties. To deliver a level playing field for both open source and proprietary software, open standards are needed.

Public Bodies

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library an updated list of non-departmental public bodies and their parent departments.

Francis Maude: holding answer 7 September 2011
	The Cabinet Office publishes a list of non-departmental public bodies and their parent Departments in its publication “Public Bodies”. The latest version will be published in due course taking into account any changes that may occur as a result of the Public Bodies Review and proposed legislation.

Public Bodies

Andrew Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of savings to the public purse from the abolition of public bodies since May 2010; and what estimate he has made of savings to be realised in the next year.

Francis Maude: We estimate that cumulative administrative savings of £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period. When reductions in programme and capital spend are taken into account, we estimate that total spending through public bodies will be reduced by at least £11 billion per year by 2014-15, a cumulative amount of £30 billion over the spending review period.
	Departments are currently refining their estimates, as implementation plans develop.

Public Sector: Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the timetable for negotiations on changes to public service pension schemes.

Francis Maude: I meet regularly with my ministerial colleagues including those in the Treasury to discuss a range of issues, including various aspects of the reform of public service pension schemes.

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on requiring small and medium-sized enterprises to provide pre-qualification data only once for Government procurements in common commodities.

Francis Maude: The Government Dynamic Marketplace pilot, launched on 19 July provides a single, simple registration process for suppliers:
	https://register4ukgov.procserveonline.com

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department has made regarding use of the open procedure for large central Government procurements.

Francis Maude: Departments are currently piloting the use of the open procurement procedure in 12 procurements, in order to assess the impact of a broader range of suppliers submitting tenders for Government business.
	We will collate emerging findings from these procurements to assess the impact of using this procurement procedure on both buyers and suppliers.

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  which (a) products and (b) services have been pitched successfully as a result of an SME Product Surgery;
	(2)  how many products and services have been pitched successfully at an SME Product Surgery organised by his Department since the scheme's inception;
	(3)  what the monetary value has been of central Government contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that were a direct result of a product or service pitched at an SME Product Surgery.

Francis Maude: The Product Surgeries are intended to promote an opportunity for constructive dialogue between innovative SMEs and Government Departments.
	From over 350 submissions, the following nine SMEs were invited to present their products or services to the Innovation Launch Pad Product Surgery on 19 July:
	Adinfa
	Becrypt
	CatN
	Cambridge Temperature Concepts
	Health Analytics
	HotDocs
	Learning Pool
	MyWorkSearch
	Software Europe
	However, it is not possible to say that any new contracts have been or will be awarded as a direct result of any Product Surgery, as public sector contracts can only be awarded after an appropriate competitive procurement.

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small and medium-sized enterprises have participated in the mystery shopper scheme.

Francis Maude: Between 11 February and 6 September, 69 small and medium-sized enterprises have participated in the mystery shopper scheme. The results for the first three months (February to May) can be seen at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/mystery-shopper

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Panel last met; and on what date it will next meet.

Francis Maude: The SME Panel last met on 29 June 2011. The next meeting is planned for 26 September.

Public Sector: Procurement

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when he last met the SME Panel to discuss the Government's progress in increasing the level of business with small and medium-sized enterprises;
	(2)  when he last met representatives of his Department's SME Panel to discuss progress in increasing government contracts with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Francis Maude: holding answer 7 September 2011
	I attended the first meeting of the SME Panel, held on 29 June 2011 where this was discussed.

Royalties

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect of procurement policy Action Note 3/11 on industries that depend on royalties.

Francis Maude: Through specifying open standards in government ICT procurement, the Government are looking to improve interoperability, maximise efficiency and reduce cost to the taxpayer.
	No formal assessment has been carried out on the effects of policy Action Note 3/11 on industries that depend on royalties or on industry that requires royalty free standards to operate. We are about to commence a review of this note and Government are actively engaged with industry on the impact of Action Note 3/11 which is being considered alongside feedback from the UK Government Open Standards Survey and other consultations.

Royalties

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department carried out a cost-benefit analysis of the procurement policy Action Note 3/11 on the use of open standards when specifying ICT requirements issued on 31 January 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office did not carry out a generic cost-benefit analysis on the policy procurement note. Cost-benefit analysis should be carried out by Departments as part of the procurement process for each specific implementation.

Social Enterprises

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he has any plans to review (a) procurement policies in relation to and (b) the effects of procurement decisions on social enterprises.

Francis Maude: We continue to look at new approaches to delivering public services. In the Open Public Services White Paper we have made a commitment to regularly assess the barriers to entry and exit that may prevent innovation from being achieved and hamper diversity of supply, which includes from social enterprises.
	We believe public services should be open to a range of providers, including social enterprises (and SMEs) and have consulted on how this can be achieved. On 11 February we announced a set of measures to tackle barriers to SMEs in government procurement, which will also help social enterprises. As with all government procurement, value for money for the public purse is the over-riding imperative.

Voluntary Work

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of progress with the big society initiative.

Nick Hurd: The Government have taken significant steps towards changing the relationship between the citizen and the state by pushing down power to individuals and communities, encouraging people to take action to make the changes they want to see, and challenging public service providers to deliver better and more localised services. For example:
	24 free schools are now up and running, creating choice for parents, enabling communities to set up schools that meet their needs.
	National Citizen Service is delivering to thousands of young people in England; and aspires to deliver opportunities for up to 30,000 young people by next year.
	The Giving White paper has set out a number of announcements to support the giving of time and money—such as AMT and payroll giving.
	The Localism Bill—currently in the Lords—will devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities more control over housing and planning decisions.
	45,000 public sector workers are now in mutuals, with the aspiration to have 1 million public sector workers in mutuals by 2015.
	The Open Public Services White Paper has set out plans to create greater diversity in the delivery of public services by opening up the market to a greater number of providers.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the National Citizens Service pilots.

Nick Hurd: NCS is providing 16-year-olds across England with the opportunity to take part in challenging outdoor activities and to give something back to their communities. I have visited a number of the pilot programmes this summer and the feedback I have heard from the young people taking part has been overwhelmingly positive.
	An independent evaluation of the NCS pilots is currently taking place and I will be able to update the House on the outcomes of that evaluation once it has concluded.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Civil Disorder

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether budgets for criminal justice agencies in 2011-12 and subsequent financial years will be reviewed in light of the public disorder in August 2011.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for the criminal justice system and my Department works closely with the Home Office and Attorney-General's Office.
	As part of its regular financial and operational management, the Ministry of Justice monitors sentencing trends and prison population against the financial and capacity plans. The Department is closely monitoring the impact on its services, but the full scale of the financial implications will not be known until all offenders have been sentenced by the courts.
	In relation to the police, there is no plan to review the funding settlement. Although challenging, the Home Office believes that the settlement they have reached for the police is both fair and manageable. There is no question that the police will have the resources to do their important work.
	The CPS is currently assessing the additional costs which will be incurred as a result of the recent public disorder. Investigations and prosecutions will continue over the next two years at least and the full impact will not be known until all investigations and prosecutions are concluded.
	The Ministry of Justice and CPS will continue to keep the Treasury informed about the implications for their financial position.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Correspondence

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many letters the Government Equalities Office received from hon. Members in June 2011.

Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 September 2011, Official Report, columns 243-44W.

JUSTICE

Birmingham Prison

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the period of protection is for prison staff working in HMP Birmingham under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.

Crispin Blunt: The Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) Regulations do not specify a time limit. Therefore the protection afforded by TUPE is not time limited. Contractual terms and conditions are protected indefinitely against changes that are directly connected to the transfer, unless there is a valid economic, technical or organisational reason entailing changes in the workforce.

Civil Disorder

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what effect the public disorder in August 2011 will have on the funding of (a) probation, (b) court and (c) prison services in (i) the current financial year and (ii) subsequent financial years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The recent civil disorder will potentially impact the operational costs of the Ministry of Justice, including courts, probation, and prison services. As part of our regular financial and operational management we are monitoring sentencing trends and prison population against our financial and capacity plans. The full impact of the public disorder will not be known until all offenders have been sentenced by the courts.

Civil Disorder

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many court reports were prepared on people in connection with the public disorder in August 2011 in England and Wales;
	(2)  how many people convicted of an offence in connection with the public disorder in August 2011 have been imprisoned;
	(3)  how many people arrested in connection with the public disorder in August 2011 were remanded into custody following a first hearing.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is currently publishing frequent updates on people being dealt with by the court system in relation to the disturbances on 6-9 August. These reports can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/ad-hoc/index.htm
	As the publication notes the Chief Statistician will review the quality of data and release further breakdowns as reliable data become available. A more detailed release will be published on 15 September containing detailed information on age, gender, offence committed, sentence given, and previous criminal history.

Civil Disorder

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to review sentencing terms as part of the Government's response to the recent disturbances in London and other English cities.

Crispin Blunt: ( )Sentencing decisions are entirely a matter for the courts;( )magistrates and judges are independent of the Government and their( )sentencing decisions are based on the individual circumstances of each case( )and offender, and the relevant sentencing guidelines. Early cases are( )providing a clear indication of the seriousness being attached to these( )particular cases by the courts.
	We have established the Communities and Victims Panel to explore what( )lessons can be learned, both from the riots and the civic action to clear up( )the damage caused.

Civil Disorder

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women who have been (i) remanded in custody and (ii) given custodial sentences as a result of the public disorder of August 2011 are parents of dependent children; and how many children there are of each age group whose parents have been imprisoned.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is currently publishing frequent updates on people being dealt with by the court system in relation to the disturbances on 6-9 August. These reports can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/ad-hoc/index.htm
	As the publication notes the Chief Statistician will review the quality of data and release further breakdowns as reliable data become available. A more detailed release will be published on 15 September containing detailed information on age, gender, offence committed, sentence given, and previous criminal history.

Civil Disorder

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) young people have been prosecuted and (b) parenting orders have been issued in connection with the public disorder of August 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is currently publishing frequent updates on people being dealt with by the court system in relation to the disturbances on 6-9 August. These reports can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/ad-hoc/index.htm
	As the publication notes the Chief Statistician will review the quality of data and release further breakdowns as reliable data become available. A more detailed release will be published on 15 September containing detailed information on age, gender, offence committed, sentence given, and previous criminal history.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  under which Minister's authority his special advisers communicated with the Office of the Information Commissioner about a complaint relating to a Minister in his Department in July 2011;
	(2)  on how many occasions and on what dates his special advisers communicated with the Office of the Information Commissioner with regard to complaints about a Minister in his Department in July 2011.

Kenneth Clarke: Special advisers serve the Government as a whole and not just their appointing Minister. Part of their role is organising responses to press inquiries. My Special Adviser spoke with a press officer at the Office of the Information Commissioner three times last July to alert them to a number of related inquiries from The Daily Telegraph newspaper, and to obtain the statements they had released to the paper. The calls were followed up by three e-mails.

Driving Offences: Insurance

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been of uninsured drivers in each police force area in each of the last 10 years; and what the average penalty was in each case of conviction in each such year.

Crispin Blunt: Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts, by sentence breakdown, the median and average fine amount and the average custodial sentence length for driving without insurance, by police force area in England and Wales, 2000 to 2010 (latest available), has been placed in the House Library.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring, 2012.

European Court of Human Rights

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has received any interim findings from the Commission on a UK Bill of Rights on reform of the European Court of Human Rights.

Kenneth Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement I have issued today. I have placed in the Library of the House copies of two letters received from Sir Leigh Lewis, the Chair of the Commission on a Bill of Rights. One of those letters contains the Commission's interim advice on reform of the European Court of Human Rights.

HM Prisons Brockhill and Latchmere House

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the estimated market value is for HM Prison Brockhill; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of the capital receipts his Department expects to realise from the sale of HM Prison Latchmere House will be retained by (a) the National Offender Management Service and (b) his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what capital receipts his Department expects to realise from the sale of HM Prison Latchmere House; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The market value of HMP Latchmere House and part of( )HMP Hewell, formerly known as Brockhill, has not been formally assessed. The Ministry of Justice seeks to gain best value from the sale of surplus( )assets which will contribute to the Ministry’s capital expenditure budget.( )Ministry of Justice expenditure will be prioritised as appropriate and will( )include investment in the National Offender Management Service estate and( )services.

Homicide: British Nationals Abroad

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) support and (b) assistance his Department provides to the families of victims of murder and manslaughter abroad.

Kenneth Clarke: When a homicide occurs abroad the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will provide an automatic referral to Victim Support's National Homicide Service for bereaved families resident in England and Wales which provides emotional support and practical assistance. Victim Support receives £2 million from the Ministry of Justice to fund the Homicide Service. In addition to this the FCO has recently agreed to provide Victim Support with £100,000 in this and the next financial year to help support families bereaved by homicide abroad.

Human Rights Act 1998

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998.

Kenneth Clarke: On 18 March, the Government announced the establishment of a Commission to investigate the case for a UK Bill of Rights. The Commission's terms of reference set out that it should aim to report no later than by the end of 2012. We cannot prejudge the findings of the Commission and it is too early to say what the next steps might be until the Commission has reported.

Legal Aid Scheme: Nationality

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2011, Official Report, column 702W, on legal aid: nationality, what consideration he has given to restricting legal aid to British nationals.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government published the White Paper ‘Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales’ on 15 November 2010, which set out proposals for the fundamental reform of the legal aid system and the rationale for those reforms. As set out in the White Paper, and the Consultation Response which followed in June 2011, our proposals have taken into account our domestic, European and international legal obligations, including the European convention on human rights, and a number of other factors. We have no plans to restrict the availability of legal aid based on the nationality of the claimant.

Legal Aid Scheme: West Midlands

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in (a) Coventry, (b) Warwickshire and (c) the west midlands received legal aid in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is responsible for administering the legal aid scheme in England and Wales. The LSC does not record the number of applications granted to individual people who apply for legal aid. Nor does it record data on the basis of the areas referred to in the question.
	The LSC does record the number of ‘acts of assistance’ provided to individuals, although one individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.
	The information in the following tables sets out acts of assistance on the basis of parliamentary constituency areas and the LSC's regional offices, and represents the nearest matches of the LSC's data to the information requested. These figures are as at August 2011 and are unaudited so may not be directly comparable over time. Figures for 2010-11 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Coventry 
			 Coventry North East constituency 
			  Type of assistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 1,147 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 622 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 197 
			  Crime Higher Cases 116 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 1,578 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 477 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 188 
			  Crime Higher Cases 155 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 1,295 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 546 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 187 
			  Crime Higher Cases 188 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 1,232 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 482 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 231 
			  Crime Higher Cases 170 
		
	
	
		
			 Coventry South constituency 
			  Type of assistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 9,316 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 4,051 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 843 
			  Crime Higher Cases 689 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 7,626 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 3,736 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 719 
			  Crime Higher Cases 802 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 7,877 
			  Legal Help New 3,833 
			  Matter Starts  
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 763 
			  Crime Higher Cases 820 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 7,544 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 3,848 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 776 
			  Crime Higher Cases 799 
		
	
	
		
			 Warwickshire 
			 North Warwickshire constituency 
			  Type of assistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 676 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 774 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 108 
			  Crime Higher Cases 65 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 729 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 795 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 85 
			  Crime Higher Cases 24 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 863 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 903 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 93 
			  Crime Higher Cases 51 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 808 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 935 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 102 
			  Crime Higher Cases 56 
		
	
	
		
			 Nuneaton constituency 
			  Type of assistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 1,908 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 940 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 329 
			  Crime Higher Cases 86 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 1,421 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 1,009 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 343 
			  Crime Higher Cases 92 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 1,289 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 1,341 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 396 
			  Crime Higher Cases 91 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 1,193 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 1,051 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 457 
			  Crime Higher Cases 78 
		
	
	
		
			 Rugby and Kenilworth constituency 
			  Type of   a  ssistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 1,246 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 669 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 168 
			  Crime Higher Cases 36 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 1,171 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 460 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 124 
			  Crime Higher Cases 29 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 1,225 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 483 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 60 
			  Crime Higher Cases 42 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 982 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 430 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 69 
			  Crime Higher Cases 63 
		
	
	
		
			 Stratford-on-Avon constituency 
			  Type of   a  ssistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 124 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 327 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 179 
			  Crime Higher Cases 5 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 102 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 313 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 182 
			  Crime Higher Cases 5 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 95 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 313 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 186 
			  Crime Higher Cases 5 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 107 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 357 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 189 
			  Crime Higher Cases 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Warwick and Leamington constituency 
			  Type of   a  ssistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 3,190 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 810 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 200 
			  Crime Higher Cases 254 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 2,859 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 663 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 142 
			  Crime Higher Cases 192 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 2,501 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 770 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 182 
			  Crime Higher Cases 194 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 2,289 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 792 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 182 
			  Crime Higher Cases 178 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 
			 Birmingham regional office  (1) 
			  Type of assistance Quantity 
			 2006-07 Crime Lower Claims 162,820 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 69,282 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 14,256 
			  Crime Higher Cases 11,897 
			    
			 2007-08 Crime Lower Claims 146,038 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 66,901 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 12,960 
			  Crime Higher Cases 12,377 
			    
			 2008-09 Crime Lower Claims 144,239 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 73,939 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 13,865 
			  Crime Higher Cases 13,038 
			    
			 2009-10 Crime Lower Claims 111,407 
			  Legal Help New Matter Starts 62,917 
			  Civil Representation Certificates Issued 13,155 
			  Crime Higher Cases 13,147 
			 (1) Comprising the following local authority areas: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, City of Wolverhampton, County of Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, City of Stoke-on-Trent, Cannock Chase, East Staffordshire, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Staffordshire Moorlands, Tamworth, North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, Bromsgrove, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Worcester, Wychavon, Wyre Forest.

NHS: Negligence

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effects of his plans for (a) legal aid and (b) conditional fee agreements on the level of costs payable by the Department of Health in respect of clinical negligence claims.

Jonathan Djanogly: An impact assessment was published alongside the response to consultation paper ‘Proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales’. Annex B of the impact assessment on the reforms to conditional fee agreements sets out estimated savings of £50 million to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) as a result of abolishing recoverability of success fees and after the event insurance premiums. This figure does not account for the NHSLA paying After the Event premiums for policies covering the cost of expert reports in some cases; my officials are in ongoing discussions with the NHSLA and stakeholders about how the commissioning of expert reports can be improved so that, for example, joint reports can be commissioned wherever possible.

NHS: Negligence

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many clinical negligence cases involving claimants aged under 18 years the Legal Services Commission provided support for in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such cases in each such year; and how much the Commission disbursed in legal aid in respect of such cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The total number of legal aid certificates and the legal aid costs of clinical negligence cases relating to claimants under 18 whose final bills were paid in each of the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Certificates closed Whole case costs (£ million) 
			 2008-09 825 7.6 
			 2009-10 681 6.9 
			 2010-11 587 6.3 
		
	
	Additionally, the number of new matters started under legal help which includes initial advice and assistance where no certificate has been granted, together with the value of those legal help claims, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Category Claim volume Claim value (£) 
			 2008-09 200 52,438 
			 2009-10 190 53,812 
			 2010-11 165 55,679 
		
	
	Other costs to the public purse of clinical negligence claims relating to persons under 18, for example the costs to the national health service, are not held by the Ministry of Justice and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prison Service: Manpower

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the ratio of prison officers to prisoners was in the prison estate in each month of (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011 to date.

Crispin Blunt: Information relating to the question is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 NOMS Public sector prisons 
			 Month Public sector prisons (officer to prisoner ratio)  (1) 
			 2008  
			 31 January 1:2.9 
			 29 February 1:2.9 
			 31 March 1:2.8 
			 30 April 1:2.9 
			 31 May 1:2.9 
			 30 June 1:2.9 
			 31 July 1:2.9 
			 31 August 1:2.9 
			 30 September 1:2.9 
			 31 October 1:2.9 
			 30 November 1:2.9 
			 31 December 1:2.9 
			   
			 2009  
			 31 January 1:2,8 
			 28 February 1:2.8 
			 31 March 1:2.8 
			 30 April 1:2.8 
			 31 May 1:2.8 
			 30 June 1:2.8 
			 31 July 1:2.9 
			 31 August 1:2.9 
			 30 September 1:2.9 
			 31 October 1:2.9 
			 30 November 1:2.9 
		
	
	
		
			 31 December 1:2.9 
			   
			 2010  
			 31 January 1:2.9 
			 28 February 1:2.9 
			 31 March 1:2.9 
			 30 April 1:3.0 
			 31 May 1:3.0 
			 30 June 1:3.0 
			 31 July 1:3.0 
			 31 August 1:3.0 
			 30 September 1:3.0 
			 31 October 1:3.0 
			 30 November 1:3.0 
			 31 December 1:2.9 
			   
			 2011  
			 31 January 1:2.9 
			 28 February 1:2.9 
			 31 March 1:3.0 
			 30 April 1:3.0 
			 31 May 1:3.0 
			 30 June 1:3.0 
			 (1) Officers include Prison Officers, Senior Officers and Principal Officers. Officers working within NOMS HQ are also included within the calculation.

Prison Service: Retirement

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to allow prison officers to retire at the age of 60 years; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Prison officers are civil servants and, as such, are members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). The scheme pension age of members is set out in the relevant PCSPS rules. With the limited exception of some prison officers who were in post prior to 30 September 1987 and retain a “reserved right” to retire at age 55 years, the majority of civil servants, including prison officers, have a scheme pension age of 60 years.
	A change to the PCSPS rules raised the scheme pension age to 65 years for all civil servants, including prison officers, who joined the scheme after 30 July 2007.
	Lord Hutton's final report on the proposed reform of public service pensions recommended that a pension age of 60 might be more appropriate for employees in uniformed services to recognise the unique nature of their job. Consultation will take place on what form this takes and whom it covers as part of the reform process.

Prisoners: Parents

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women who have been (i) remanded in custody and (ii) given custodial sentences are parents of dependent children; and how many children there are of each age group whose parents have been imprisoned.

Crispin Blunt: Information on bail and remand held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include all the circumstances relating to each case, and it is not possible to determine from this information if remanded defendants have dependent children. This information could be ascertained only by reference to individual court and prison files, which could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Remand in Custody

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on (a) steps to require that pre-sentence reports consider family circumstances and (b) the feasibility of introducing a statutory obligation on the judiciary to check whether arrangements have been made for children whose parents or carers are remanded in custody.

Crispin Blunt: Officials from a range of Government Departments, including the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Department for Education, are working together to contribute to the cross-Government to support families with multiple problems, including the children and families of offenders.
	The Children Act 2004 requires inter agency co-operation to safeguard and promote the well being of the child and NOMS specifications set out that Probation Staff have a responsibility to identify the safeguarding needs of children and promote their welfare of an offender's children when preparing pre sentence reports.
	A statutory obligation on the judiciary has been considered, and been discussed at Official's level with the senior judiciary and voluntary and community sector groups. Raising awareness is our main focus and a statutory obligation is not being further considered at this time.

Remand in Custody

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider introducing a statutory obligation on the judiciary to inquire as to whether arrangements have been made for children whose parents or carers have been remanded in custody.

Crispin Blunt: ( )A statutory obligation on the judiciary has been considered,( )and discussed at official’s level with the senior judiciary and voluntary and( )community sector groups. Raising awareness is our main focus and a( )statutory obligation is not being further considered at this time.
	The Children Act 2004 requires inter agency co-operation to safeguard and( )promote the well being of the child. Probation staff working in court or( )preparing pre-sentence reports have a responsibility to consider the impact of( )custody on an offender’s children. If there is a likelihood of custody then( )children's services will be alerted to ensure arrangements are in place to( )safeguard the well being of any children.
	Officials are currently working to ensure that this system of assessment and( )referral is as robust as possible by establishing minimum standard( )specifications for both pre-sentence report assessment and court practice.

Road Traffic Offences: Sentencing

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people (a) in total and (b) who were illegal immigrants have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more following a conviction for a road traffic offence in each year since 2008.

Crispin Blunt: ( )Persons found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody of( )12 months or more at all courts, for road traffic offences in England and
	( )
	Wales in 2008 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	( )
	Information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings
	( )
	Database does not identify a defendant’s immigration status.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring 2012.
	
		
			 Persons found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody of 12 months and more at all courts, for road traffic offences  (1)  , England and Wales, 2008 to 2010  (2, 3) 
			  2008  (4) 2009  (5) 2010 
			 Found guilty 550,999 562,419 521,623 
			 Immediate custody 7,780 6,600 5,090 
			 of which    
			 12 months and more 533 476 434 
			 (1) Includes: dangerous driving, fraud and forgery, driving after consuming drink and drugs, careless( )driving, accident offences, driving licence related offences, vehicle insurance offences, vehicle( )registration and excise offences, vehicle test offences, vehicle or part in dangerous condition, speed( )limit offences, neglect or traffic offences, obstruction waiting or parking offences, other summary( )motoring offences (2 )The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences( )for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is( )the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or( )more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the( )most severe. (3 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is( )important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems( )generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data( )collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4 )Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (5 )Post publication revisions have been made to 2009 figures to account for the late receipt of a small( )number of court records. Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

HEALTH

Abortion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions there were resulting from diagnosis of a club foot or cleft palate in 2010.

Anne Milton: In 2010, there were five abortions resulting from a primary fetal diagnosis of club foot and seven due to cleft lip and palate.

Community Nurses: Manpower

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district nurses are employed in the NHS.

Anne Milton: ( )The last NHS Information Centre annual census showed that there were 9,652 headcount( )(7,859 full-time equivalent) district nurses employed in the national health service in( )England.()

Complementary Medicine

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on (a) the future of anthroposophic medicine and (b) the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's review of the field; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: In January 2011 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency started an informal consultation and discussions with interested parties about the future regulatory position of longstanding product licences of right, including anthroposophic products falling in that category. These discussions and feedback have highlighted a need for additional information and analysis about the position of individual products in order to inform the further development of policy. The main factors informing further work will be the viability and clarity of regulatory arrangements, proportionate public health protection, and issues of consumer choice.

Contraceptives: Coventry

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for emergency contraceptives were issued in the Coventry primary care trust area in each year since 2005.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not available. The National Health Service Information Centre for health and social care provides data at sub-national level for complete calendar years from 2007. The following table shows the number of prescription items for emergency contraception (as defined by British National Formulary paragraph 7.3.5) written in Coventry primary care trust area and dispensed in the community in the United Kingdom for the available complete calendar years.
	
		
			  Prescription items 
			 2007 2,321 
			 2008 2,282 
			 2009 2,146 
			 2010 2,228 
			 Source:  ePACT 
		
	
	These figures cover contraceptives issued on prescriptions in primary care only. Contraceptives can also be supplied without a prescription either through family planning clinics or by pharmacists under a Patient Group Direction. Emergency contraception may also be purchased by patients in pharmacies.

Departmental Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many senior civil servants in his Department at each grade had worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to taking up their appointment in each of the last four years; what consultancy agreements his Department had with those firms in each such year; and how many consultants from those firms have advised his Department in each such year.

Simon Burns: No senior civil servants were employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ernst and Young, Deloitte or KPMG immediately prior to their taking up appointment by the Department in any of the last four years.
	The Department does not hold records centrally about the identities or the number of consultants involved in the delivery of services from these consultancy companies but does have the numbers of the purchase orders involved. These figures are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Deloitte Ernst and Young KPMG PwC 
			 2008 15 32 15 54 
			 2009 18 28 34 37 
			 2010 13 6 9 26 
			 2011 to date 2 0 1 6

Departmental Manpower

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people working in his Department are on secondment from (a) KPMG and (b) private health care firms.

Simon Burns: ( )As of 7 September 2011, the Department does not have anyone on secondment from( )KPMG nor from private health care firms.()
	()Arrangements between the Department and consultancies such as KPMG or private health( )care firms would be considered as consultancy services. Any individual employed by such( )companies providing services to the Department, would do so in that capacity, and not by( )way of a secondment arrangement between the Department and their employing( )consultancy.()

Departmental Manpower

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed in his Department have previously worked for KPMG.

Simon Burns: The Department's business management system does not hold information on employees' previous employment history.

Doctors: Foreign Workers

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made on the effect of Tier 2 visa changes on doctors undertaking specialty training.

Simon Burns: The Department has worked closely with the Home Office to mitigate the effects of changes to Tier 2 on speciality doctors and other health care professionals.
	Currently, students completing the foundation programme switch to Tier 1 Post-Study work to undertake the required speciality training. Following the closure of this category in April 2012, students will be able to switch to Tier 2 and will not be subject to the Resident Labour Market Test.

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Manpower

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in the Media and Communications Department of the East of England Ambulance Services Trust; at what cost; and if he will compare those costs with those of other NHS ambulance trusts.

Simon Burns: ( )The information requested is not collected centrally. Local national health service( )organisations are responsible for the skill mix of their work force as they are best placed to( )assess their needs. The hon. Member may therefore wish to contact East of England( )Ambulance Service NHS Trust and other ambulance trusts directly.()

Health Services: West Midlands

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each hospital trust in the west midlands region has paid in compensation arising from clinical negligence in each year since 2006.

Simon Burns: ( )The information requested is not held by the Department. It is available on the national( )health service Litigation Authority’s website under NHSLA Factsheet 5—trust and health( )authority claims data, at the following address:()
	()www.nhsla.com/Publications/

Heart Diseases: Children

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of emergency ambulance and hospital services for children with acquired heart defects following the outcome of the NHS Safe and Sustainable review.

Simon Burns: The Safe and Sustainable review is being conducted by the NHS National Specialised Commissioning Team. However, we have been following its progress. The review focuses on improving care for children with congenital heart disease. While paediatric surgery in some centres may cease, these centres may continue to provide specialist, non-interventional services for their local population. The review wants to ensure that as much non-surgical care is delivered as close to a child's home as possible through the development of local congenital heart networks.
	No decisions have yet been made on the proposed location of specialist surgical centres. The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) is expected to make a decision by the end of the year. In making its decision, the JCPCT will consider the Ipsos MORI independent analysis of the consultation responses, reports from Overview and Scrutiny Committees, a health impact assessment and other relevant evidence.

Learning Disability

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) his Department, (b) the NHS and (c) GP consortia plan for the future needs of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Government are committed to improving outcomes for people with learning disabilities, including those with profound and complex needs.
	The Operating Framework for the national health service in England for 2011-12 highlighted that health care for people with learning disabilities continues to be an area for improvement and that the NHS should ensure momentum is maintained in improving care and outcomes;
	Our aim is to give general practitioners real responsibility through clinical commissioning groups to ensure that commissioning decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs.
	The Department's contract with the Norah Fry Research Centre to run the Confidential Inquiry into the premature and avoidable deaths of people with learning disabilities and to continue to support the Public Health Observatory in relation to people with learning disabilities currently hosted for North East Public Health Observatory have both been extended for a further two years to March 2013.
	Health is a devolved matter and decisions affecting the health of people with learning disabilities is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

MRSA

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the incidence of MRSA in milk.

Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food hygiene( )matters, that there are no plans to introduce new legislative proposals to reduce the( )incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in milk.()
	()Current evidence suggests that there is a negligible food safety risk from MRSA bacteria in( )milk. The vast majority of milk sold for human consumption is pasteurised and this( )process is effective in destroying bacteria present in the milk, including any MRSA.()

NHS: Finance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) funding was allocated and (b) was spent per capita by the NHS in (i) South Tyneside, (ii) the north-east and (iii) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The amounts allocated per capita in South Tyneside, the north-east and England are shown in tables 1 and 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Recurrent revenue allocations per head 1996-97 to 2003-04 to health authorities 
			 £ 
			  2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 1999-2000 1998-99 1997-98 1996-97 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA(1) 938 846 777 713 528 498 474 
			 North-east SHA(2) 902 815 749 683 497 471 451 
			 England 824 740 688 629 464 443 426 
			 Note: Allocations are not always comparable between years because of changes in baselines —that is changes in HAs' responsibilities to be funded from allocations. (1)Allocations between 1996-97 and 1999-2000 were made to 100 health authorities (HAs). Between 2000-01 and 2001-02 they were made to 99 HAs and in 2002-03 to 95 HAs. Gateshead and South Tyneside HA was not part of any merger that reduced the overall number of HAs over this period. (2) North-east strategic health authority (SHA) was formed on 1 July 2006. The figures here comprise an aggregation of previous HAs based on current north-east SHA boundaries. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Recurrent revenue allocations per head 2003-04 to 2011-12 to primary care trusts 
			 £ 
			  2011-12 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 
			 South Tyneside PCT(1) 1,932 1,945 1,848 1,724 1,639 1,492 1,245 1,139 1,038 
			 North-east SHA(2) 1,813 1,812 1,724 1,626 1,551 1,419 1,196 1,095 1,000 
			 England 1,615 1,612 1,540 1,449 1,388 1,274 1,097 1,003 916 
			 Note: Allocations are not always comparable between years because of changes in baselines—that is changes in PCTs' responsibilities to be funded from allocations. (1) Allocations for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 were announced for 304 PCTs, the previous HA of Gateshead and South Tyneside split to form Gateshead PCT and South Tyneside PCT. (2 )North-east SHA was formed on 1 July 2006, having merged from Northumberland Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA. The figures here comprise an aggregation of these two SHAs based on current north-east SHA boundaries. 
		
	
	The amounts spent per head in South Tyneside, the north-east and England are shown in table 3 for the financial years 2003-04 to 2009-10, which are the only years figures are available by individual organisation. Figures for Wales are not held centrally.
	
		
			 Table 3: Spend per capita in South Tyneside, the   north  -  east   and England, 2003-04 to 2009-10 
			  2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 
			 South Tyneside PCT 1,947 1,784 1,691 1,532 1,446 1,316 1,124 
			 North-east SHA 1,839 1,700 1,612 1,475 1,394 1,272 1,127 
		
	
	
		
			 England 1,650 1,499 1,428 1,315 1,286 1,183 1,045 
			 Notes: 1. Expenditure data used in the calculation of spend per capita value are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of NHS bodies, 2003-04 to 2009-10. 2. North-east SHA was formed on 1 July 2006, having merged from Northumberland Tyne and Wear SHA and County Durham and Tees Valley SHA. The figures here comprise an aggregation of these two SHAs based on current north-east SHA boundaries. 
		
	
	The amount spent by the national health service in England per capita for 1997-98 to 2002-03 is separately shown in table 4. Expenditure figures for these years are only available at a consolidated national level, and are taken from the published NHS summarised accounts. It is not possible to disaggregate spend in specific constituencies or regions from these figures.
	
		
			 Table 4: Spend per capita in England, 1997-98 to 2001-02 
			 £ 
			  2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 1999-2000 1998-99 1997-98 
			 England 917 915 842 773 718 663

NHS: Foreign Workers

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors he took into account in respect of workforce planning in the NHS in determining his proposed changes to immigration rules.

Simon Burns: The Home Office is the lead Government Department on immigration and any changes to the immigration rules are ultimately made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).
	The Home Office reviewed Tier 1, 2 and the student route (Tier 4) of the Points Based System. The Department worked closely with the Home Office to mitigate the effects of the proposals on health care professionals.
	To improve the effectiveness of workforce planning the Department of Health has developed a Centre for Workforce Intelligence. They will provide a single, authoritative and expert resource on workforce development planning for all parts of the national health service and social care system.

Organs: Donors

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking together with pharmacists to encourage organ donor registration.

Anne Milton: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donation organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for matching and allocating donated organs. To promote registration to the organ donor register (ODR) at both a national and local level, NHSBT work with a number of partners in the private, public and third sectors.
	Through these partnerships, opportunities to sign up to the ODR are universally available to everyone in the UK via national initiatives. For example, each year NHSBT mail out posters and ODR recruitment leaflets to all pharmacies in the UK. The last mailing was completed in March 2011 and included 14,025 pharmacies. NHSBT had 4,920 forms returned of which 1,805 have been converted into new registrations.

Pharmacy

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to replace the 100 hour rule for new pharmacies with the pharmaceutical needs assessment.

Simon Burns: As part of the implementation of the Health Act 2009, an independent Advisory Group was set up in July 2009 to assist in developing new regulations for entry based on local assessments of pharmaceutical needs. Details of the group's work can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Primarycare/Communitypharmacy/RegulationsAdvisoryGroup/index.htm
	Ministers are considering carefully the question of whether, and when, we should move to a system of national health service market entry based on local assessments of pharmaceutical need. This includes whether or not the current exemptions to the control of entry test should continue.

Surgery

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how his Department monitors outcomes for vascular surgery;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of outcomes for vascular surgery in (a) Dudley Primary Care Trust, (b) Walsall Primary Care Trust and (c) Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust.

Simon Burns: The Department does not monitor outcomes for vascular surgery. One of the key standards of the national health service Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme is that all surgeons treating patients identified through the NHS AAA screening programme must submit data to the National Vascular Database and participate in regular reviews of their practice and outcomes.

Surgery: West Midlands

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the reconfiguration of vascular surgery in the Black Country.

Simon Burns: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the reconfiguration of vascular surgery in the Black Country. The reconfiguration in the Black Country is part of a wider review of vascular services being led by the national health service at the local level.
	The Government are committed to devolving power to local communities—to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their local NHS services. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened criteria that we expect decisions on NHS service changes to meet. They must focus on improving patient outcomes, consider patient choice, have support from GP commissioners and be based on sound clinical evidence.